Food for tongue muscle training and tongue muscle training method

Abstract

To provide a food product and a training method of a tongue muscle which can train a tongue muscle without choosing a place and a time.SOLUTION: A food product for tongue muscle training is composed of a sheet-like food product obtained by forming a slowly-soluble material containing a water-soluble material as a main raw material into a sheet, or by stacking a slowly-soluble material and the other material to form a sheet. The sheet-like food product has thickness of 20 μm or more and less than 100 μm, and at least one of a surface and a rear face of the sheet-like food product is composed of a surface where a projection is not formed so as to adhere to the inner surface of an oral cavity. A tongue muscle training method adheres the sheet-like food product to at least an outside surface of a tooth row of an upper jaw or a tooth row of a lower jaw, or both tooth rows of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and slowly solves the sheet-like food product by licking with the surface or rear face of a tongue. Not only the outside surface but also the inside surface is similarly usable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food for training a tongue muscle and a method for training a tongue muscle. [Background technology]

[0002] The tongue movement plays an important role in chewing and swallowing when eating, but also plays an important role in other actions such as breathing and articulation. This tongue movement is controlled by the tongue muscle, but as muscle strength weakens with age, chewing power decreases, causing problems with smooth swallowing (aspiration), and also causing sleep apnea syndrome due to the sinking of the tongue base during sleep. In recent years, the function of the tongue muscle in cosmetic aspects such as double chins and nasolabial folds has been attracting attention. Therefore, training methods that involve consciously using the tongue to improve tongue muscle strength have been introduced in various fields.

[0003] To train the tongue muscles, a method has been devised in which the trainee consciously licks the surface of the upper or lower jaw dentition with the tongue (see Non-Patent Document 1). However, when the trainee consciously licks the upper jaw dentition with the tongue, the trainee is left to his / her own initiative, and the effect varies depending on the strength of the trainee's will for training. Therefore, training equipment for training this type of muscle has been developed (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-67732 A [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] http: / / every-day-life.com / tongue-muscle / Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, which relates to the training device mentioned above, involves inserting an appliance made of elastic elastomer into the oral cavity and biting with a part of it (the occlusal part) reaching the first molar. For tongue muscle training, the part that protrudes diagonally downward from the occlusal part (the tongue support part) is pushed up with the tongue.

[0007] However, when using this type of device to train the tongue muscles, the device must be inserted into the oral cavity, and from a hygienic perspective, the parts inserted into the oral cavity (the bite part and the tongue support part) must be kept clean, so although it can be used at home, it is not suitable for carrying around when going out. Also, since it is made of elastic elastomer, even if it can be elastically deformed appropriately, there are individual differences in the size of the oral cavity and the length of the tongue, so the size of the device itself must be selected.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its object is to provide food and a tongue muscle training method that allow training of the tongue muscles regardless of place or time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Therefore, the present invention relating to food for tongue muscle training is characterized in that it is composed of a sheet-type food made of a slowly soluble material made only from water-soluble materials or a slowly soluble material made mainly from water-soluble materials, a sheet-type food in which the slowly soluble material is laminated or supported on the surface of a sheet-type base layer made of a desired food material, or a sheet-type food in which the slowly soluble material is laminated with the same or different slowly soluble material or other food material to form a sheet.

[0010] Since the tongue muscle training food of the present invention is a food in itself, it can be stored hygienically by individual packaging, etc., and since new food is eaten each time it is used, it is hygienic. Furthermore, since the tongue muscle training food of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, by attaching a sheet-like food made of a slowly soluble material (or a laminate of this and other materials) to the dentition and using the tongue to slowly dissolve the sheet-like food attached to the dentition, it is possible to eat food while training the tongue.

[0011] The slowly soluble material may be made of only a water-soluble material, or may be made of a water-soluble material as the main ingredient with supplement ingredients or food additives added. The sheet-type food may be made of only a slowly soluble material, or may be made of a sheet of a desired food material selected appropriately and then laminated or supported on the surface of the sheet. The support may be a state in which the powder of the slowly soluble material is fixed by utilizing the adhesiveness of the base layer, or a state in which the solated slowly soluble material is applied and gelled. Furthermore, the sheet-type food may be made of a sheet of other food material laminated on the slowly soluble material. The other food material may be a layer of the same type of slowly soluble material for thickness adjustment, or a layer of a different type of slowly soluble material, or a layer of food that is not slowly soluble or is very difficult to dissolve. When a food that is not slowly soluble or is very difficult to dissolve is used, it can be eaten by chewing after the slowly soluble material part has dissolved. The other food materials are not limited in type or ingredients as long as they are stable in shape at room temperature.

[0012] The sheet-type food product in which a slowly soluble material and other food materials are layered includes food products in which other food materials are coated with a slowly soluble material, and is a product in which the slowly soluble material is layered exclusively on the surface. By layering the slowly soluble material on the surface, it improves adhesion to the surface of the dentition and makes it possible to eat the food inside after the slowly soluble material on the surface has disappeared.

[0013] As the water-soluble material, one or more of starch, starch derivatives, glutinous rice, rice flour, agar, gelatin, carrageenan, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic, gum furcellaria, gellan gum, guar gum, cassia gum, tara gum, tamarind gum, psyllium seed gum, Azotobacter vinelandii gum, pectin, konjac mannan, sodium alginate, curdlan, soybean protein, zein, casein, pullulan and cellulose derivatives can be selected and used. When the shape is not stable with a single material, two types of materials can be mixed and used.

[0014] The slowly soluble material may further contain at least one of tea catechins, urea peroxide, lactic acid bacteria, vitamins, collagen, folic acid, enzymes, proteins, alpha-linolenic acid, proteins, anthocyanins, polyphenols, placenta, glucosamine, chondroitin, zinc, proteoglycan, magnesium, turmeric, and food sweeteners.

[0015] The fact that the slowly soluble material contains the above-mentioned substances means that the above-mentioned substances are added to the water-soluble material, and by adding these substances, it is possible to obtain other effects at the same time as using it for tongue muscle training. For example, tea catechins can kill germs in the mouth and prevent bad breath, and urea peroxide can whiten teeth. In addition, by containing substances that are usually taken as supplement foods such as vitamins and collagen in granular form, it is possible to take these supplement foods while training the tongue muscles.

[0016] The sheet-like food can be manufactured as a food with a concept selected from candy, mochi, dumplings, candy, chewing gum, gummy candy, chewing candy, and wafer. Gummy candy and chewing candy are familiar as relatively soft foods, and wafers are familiar as easily deformable sheet-like foods, so by classifying them as products belonging to these foods, consumer understanding can be promoted. Although candy and other foods are considered to be non-deformable foods, they can be used by making them into a shape that can be attached to the dentition. Chewing gum is a food that is chewed and then spat out, but it can be made into a product that can be chewed and eaten after training the tongue muscles. If the chewing gum is bubble gum, the action of blowing up a balloon in addition to normal chewing can be an effective training for the tongue muscles. In other words, when blowing up bubble gum, the tongue tip must be pushed out from both the upper and lower lips, and the action of moving the tongue along the dentition during gradual dissolution, combined with the action of pushing out the tongue tip, provides a training effect for various tongue muscles.

[0017] In order to manufacture the various foods described above, the sheet-type food is preferably formed into a horizontally long rectangle. It is also preferable that the sheet-type food is folded in half along a fold line along the longitudinal direction according to the product. It is further preferable that the sheet-type food is folded in half along a center line along the longitudinal direction, and that the long side edge is folded inward along two fold lines along the longitudinal direction. In particular, in the case of products that are difficult to deform, such as sweets and candies, it is preferable that the sheet-type food is configured to have a length or shape according to the dental arch of the upper or lower jaw.

[0018] Furthermore, when manufacturing the various foods described above, the sheet-type food product can be formed into any shape and with an appropriate area, and in this case, can be configured so that protrusions at appropriate intervals are formed on at least one surface.

[0019] In the case of the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to use the sheet food by attaching it to the inner surface of the upper jaw excluding the dentition, and slowly dissolving it by moving the tip of the tongue, instead of attaching the sheet food to the dental arch. When protrusions are formed on one side of the surface of the sheet food, the tongue tip can sense the gradual change of the protrusions as the tongue tip moves (slow dissolution), and it is also possible to train the tongue tip with the goal of slowly dissolving all of the protrusions. Since the configuration has protrusions on at least one side of the surface, it is sufficient to have protrusions on the surface that the tongue tip touches, and there may or may not be protrusions on the other surface.

[0020] The sheet-type food product may be formed by laminating two sheets of the same or different types, and the protrusions may have a hollow portion formed therein. When the protrusions are formed to be hollow in this way, the protrusions can be destroyed (gradually burst) by pressing the tip of the tongue against the protrusions with an appropriate force, and training can be performed by applying an appropriate force to the tongue tip. When two sheets are laminated to form the protrusions into a hollow state, the sheet constituting the protrusions is constructed to have a thickness that allows it to be destroyed (burst) appropriately depending on the force with which the tip of the tongue is pressed against it.

[0021] Furthermore, the sheet food formed into an arbitrary shape with an appropriate area can be formed into a substantially dome-like shape as a whole. In such a configuration, the dome-shaped sheet food can be attached to the tip of the tongue. When attaching the sheet food to the tip of the tongue, it is necessary to bring the tip of the tongue into sliding contact with some surface in the oral cavity in order to gradually dissolve the sheet food, and the tongue muscle training effect can be obtained by bringing the tip of the tongue into sliding contact with any surface such as the above-mentioned dentition or other surfaces of the upper jaw. In this case, the sliding surface can be any surface, so it can be started from a position close to the tip of the tongue and gradually changed to the back side according to the development state of the tongue muscle.

[0022] On the other hand, the present invention relating to a method for using a tongue muscle training food is a method for using any of the above-mentioned tongue muscle training foods, characterized in that the sheet-type food is attached to at least the outer surface of the upper or lower jaw dentition or both the upper and lower jaw dentitions, and gradually dissolved by licking with the front or back of the tongue. In this case, it includes a case where the entire sheet-type food is gradually dissolved and then eaten, as well as a case where an appropriate range is gradually dissolved and then the remaining part is chewed and eaten.

[0023] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the tongue muscle training food is attached to at least the outer surface (lip side surface) of either or both of the upper and lower jaw dentitions, so that in order to lick and slowly dissolve the food attached to this position, the tongue must be stretched out and the tip of the tongue must be extended upward or downward, and the tongue tip must be moved left and right along the dentition. Such tongue movement requires the tongue muscle to be strongly activated, and as a result, the tongue muscle is activated and a training effect can be obtained. Naturally, the tongue muscle training food can also be attached to the inner surface (throat side surface) of the upper and lower jaw dentitions at the same time, and in this case, the tongue tip is moved up and down and left and right while the tongue is moved back, which also provides a tongue muscle training effect.

[0024] In the case where the sheet-type food is mochi or dango, or gummy candy or chewing gum, the entire sheet-type food is not necessarily eaten by gradual dissolution, but rather it is possible to gradually dissolve an appropriate portion of the surface and then eat the remaining portion by chewing. Furthermore, if the sheet-type food is chewing gum and the chewing gum is bubble gum, a usage method can also include the additional action of inflating the bubble gum.

[0025] By the way, the tongue muscles are divided into extrinsic muscles (genioglossus, hyoglossus, and styloglossus) and intrinsic muscles (superior longitudinal muscle, inferior longitudinal muscle, transverse muscle, and vertical muscle). The extrinsic muscles are said to be muscles that mainly move the position of the tongue, and the intrinsic muscles are said to be muscles that mainly change the shape of the tongue. Among these, the genioglossus is a muscle that holds the tongue downward and protrudes the tongue forward. When the strength of this genioglossus muscle decreases, the tongue retracts during sleep, causing sleep apnea syndrome. The styloglossus is a muscle that forms a depression (concave) on the surface of the tongue when swallowing. Therefore, training these muscles is effective in preventing aspiration and sleep apnea syndrome.

[0026] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of use when the tongue muscle training food is in a folded form, and the two opposing folded pieces of the sheet can be attached simultaneously to both the inner and outer surfaces of the dentition, and are gradually dissolved by licking with the surface or underside of the tongue.

[0027] In the case of the above configuration, since the tongue muscle training food is folded in half in advance, it can be attached to both the front and back of the upper or lower jaw dentition at the same time. Therefore, by eating it by licking the front and back of the dentition evenly with the tongue, the tongue muscles are activated as a whole, and a training effect can be obtained for the entire tongue muscles.

[0028] In any method of use, it is effective to attach the sheet-type food to the upper and lower jaw dentition, respectively, and it may be attached to the upper and lower jaw dentition sequentially, or it may be attached simultaneously. When attached simultaneously, it may be attached only to either the outer or inner surface of the dentition, or it may be attached to both the front and back surfaces at the same time.

[0029] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of use when the tongue muscle training food is in the form of a sheet-type food formed into any shape and with an appropriate area, characterized in that the sheet-type food is attached to the surface of the oral cavity behind the upper dentition and gradually dissolved by licking it with the surface of the tongue.

[0030] In the above-mentioned configuration, since the sheet-type food is attached to the oral cavity surface behind the upper jaw dentition, the tongue can be licked while bending further upward, which provides a tongue muscle training effect. In particular, in the case of a configuration having a protrusion, the tongue tip can be moved with the goal of disappearing the protrusion, and the achievement of this goal can be used as a criterion for completing training. In addition, if the protrusion is hollow, the protrusion can be destroyed (burst) by pressing the tongue tip against it with an appropriate strength, and thus the tongue muscle training effect can be obtained by such a tongue tip pressing action.

[0031] The tongue muscle training food is also characterized in that the inside of the sheet food, which is formed into an approximately dome shape, is attached to the tip of the tongue, and the tip of the tongue through the sheet food is rubbed against any surface in the oral cavity, causing it to gradually dissolve on the surface of the tongue.

[0032] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the sheet-type food is not attached to the inside of the oral cavity but is attached to the tip of the tongue, and the tongue tip is rubbed against any surface in the oral cavity to cause gradual dissolution, so that the user can train his / her tongue muscles appropriately according to their condition. In this case, the tongue tip is rubbed against the dentition or its vicinity immediately after starting use, and when further training of the tongue muscles is performed through continued use, the tongue tip can be appropriately rubbed against an appropriate surface in the back of the oral cavity. Effect of the Invention

[0033] According to the tongue muscle training food of the present invention, since it is basically a food that dissolves slowly in saliva like gummy candy or oblate, it is eaten with the tongue while attached to the dentition, so that it is possible to use free time to assist training without needing any equipment. In particular, in the case of a food containing a food sweetener that gives a refreshing feeling, it can be used in the same way as the food eaten to change mood during breaks at work, etc., and in the case of a food containing a substance that is ingested as another supplement food, it can simultaneously obtain the effect of a supplement.

[0034] According to the tongue muscle training method of the present invention, since no special equipment is used, the tongue muscle can be trained anywhere and at any time. Also, by eating food attached to the outer surface of the dentition, the genioglossus muscle, which is the muscle that protrudes the tongue forward, can be trained, and the effect of preventing sleep apnea syndrome can be obtained. Similarly, by moving the tongue from side to side, the styloglossus muscle can be trained, which develops muscle strength for normal swallowing and has the effect of preventing aspiration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a tongue muscle training food. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing various forms of tongue muscle training food. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the tongue muscle training food is used. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment relating to a method of using the tongue muscle training food product. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment relating to a method of using the tongue muscle training food product. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a third embodiment of the tongue muscle training food. [Figure 7]6A is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIA-VIIA in FIG. 6, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIIB-VIIB in FIG. 6, and (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment relating to a method of using these. [Figure 8] FIG. 13(a) and (b) are explanatory views showing a fourth embodiment of the tongue muscle training food, and (c) is an explanatory view showing an embodiment relating to a method of using the food. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention relating to a tongue muscle training food. Fig. 1(a) illustrates a tongue muscle training food 100 according to a first embodiment, and Fig. 1(b) illustrates a tongue muscle training food according to a second embodiment.

[0037] <First embodiment> As shown in Fig. 1(a), the tongue muscle training food 100 of the first embodiment is composed of a sheet-type food 1 made of a slowly soluble material in the form of a sheet. This sheet-type food 1 is in a horizontally elongated, approximately rectangular shape so that it can be attached along the dentition of the upper or lower jaw, with the length of its long side being equal to or slightly shorter than the length of the dentition, and the length of its short side being equal to or slightly shorter than the length of the tooth crown. Moreover, this sheet-type food 1 is entirely made of a slowly soluble material, and its main raw material is a water-soluble material. The slowly soluble material may be made only of a water-soluble material.

[0038] Examples of water-soluble materials include starch, starch derivatives, glutinous rice, rice flour, agar, gelatin, carrageenan, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic, gum furcellaria, gellan gum, guar gum, cassia gum, tara gum, tamarind gum, psyllium seed gum, Azotobacter vinelandii gum, pectin, konjac mannan, sodium alginate, curdlan, soybean protein, zein, casein, pullulan and cellulose derivatives, and it is preferable to select one or more of these raw materials.

[0039] The water-soluble material may be one that dissolves relatively quickly due to starch or a starch derivative, such as oblate, or one that dissolves relatively long by containing a material that transitions from a sol to a gel due to temperature change (thermoreversible gel). When this thermoreversible gel is added, the solution is adjusted in the sol temperature range, and then dried after appropriate molding to gel it, thereby making it possible to obtain a slowly soluble food while maintaining a predetermined shape. Examples of this type of material include agar, gelatin, carrageenan, etc., and in any case, the solution can be dried while being molded to obtain a slowly soluble material. In addition, when glutinous rice or rice flour is used, it can be processed into foods such as mochi and dumplings, and even if it is not a food that usually dissolves slowly, it can be used as a slowly soluble material because it dissolves slowly over time.

[0040] Furthermore, the thickness T of the sheet-type food 1 can be adjusted to adjust the time it takes for the water-soluble material itself to dissolve, thereby adjusting the time it takes for the food to dissolve in the oral cavity. For example, in the case of a food such as an oblate made of starch or the like, the thickness T can be set to 40 μm to lengthen the dissolution time, and in the case of a food containing a thermoreversible gel, the thickness T can be set to 20 μm to shorten the dissolution time. When glutinous rice or rice flour is used, the dissolution time can be shortened by making the food even thinner.

[0041] The thickness T is selected based on the dissolution time when using a starch-based oblate, and since a thickness within the range of 30 μm to 50 μm provides the best balance between the time required for training the tongue muscle and the dissolution time when forming the tongue muscle training food 100, the intermediate value of 40 μm is used as the standard. Although it is called a sheet-like shape, it may also be called a film-like shape because the thickness T is thin, and both are flexible and freely deformable.

[0042] The water-soluble material may contain at least one of tea catechins, urea peroxide, lactic acid bacteria, vitamins, collagen, folic acid, enzymes, proteins, α-linolenic acid, proteins, anthocyanins, polyphenols, placenta, glucosamine, chondroitin, zinc, proteoglycan, magnesium, turmeric, and food sweeteners. In other words, the slowly soluble material may contain the above-mentioned additives by appropriately selecting them.

[0043] The above-mentioned additive substances are added to promote specific functions. For example, tea catechins are added to reduce bacteria in the oral cavity, and urea peroxide is added to promote the whitening effect of dental crowns. Other additive substances are added to obtain a supplement effect by ingestion. In addition to the additive substances listed above, other substances may be added. For example, fruit extracts can be added to produce a slowly soluble material with a fruity taste.

[0044] The sheet-type food 1 described above is basically a deformable sheet having a thickness of several tens of μm. Therefore, this sheet-type food 1 can be attached in a horizontally elongated state along the row of teeth while being appropriately deformed. Examples of sheet-type foods include candy, rice cakes, dumplings, candy, chewing gum, gummy candy, chewing candy, and wafers, and products can be made as foods that fall into these categories, but are not limited to these.

[0045] In the case of a sheet-type food that can be eaten entirely by slowly dissolving, as described above, it is basically desirable to have a thickness of several tens of μm, but in the case of a sheet-type food that is only partially dissolved and the remaining part is eaten by chewing, it may be made thicker depending on flexibility and solubility. For example, it may be made 1 mm to 5 mm thick. For example, candy, rice cake, dumpling, gummy candy, etc., may become difficult to handle by being thin, and may be difficult to dissolve overall, so that the surface may be slowly dissolved and the rest may be eaten by chewing. In this case, the entire food may be made of a single material, or the surface and the main body may be made of different layers.

[0046] <Second embodiment> On the other hand, the tongue muscle training food 200 of the second embodiment is in a state where the sheet-type food 1 is folded in half, as shown in Fig. 1(b). As shown in the figure, it may be configured in advance to have a shape that matches the shape of the dentition, but it may simply be in a state where the length of the short side of the first embodiment 1 is increased and the food is folded in half along a fold line (center line) along the long side. When a large amount of thermoreversible gel such as agar is added, it is preferable to have a shape that matches the dentition since it is not easy to deform, but when the amount of thermoreversible material added is small, it is relatively flexible, so it is preferable to have a sheet shape folded in half, in combination with the thickness T.

[0047] When the shape is made to follow the dentition, two flat surfaces 11, 12 are formed, and a groove 13 is formed between them to form a gap H into which the entire dental arch can be inserted. Since the flat surfaces 11, 12 can be deformed to some extent due to their thin wall thickness T, the groove 13 is not required to match the individual dental arch of the user. In other words, it is sufficient that the groove 13 is formed to a size into which the entire dental arch of a general type can be inserted.

[0048] The details of the above-mentioned first embodiment 100 and second embodiment 200 will be described. Fig. 2 shows the respective forms, with Figs. 2(a) and (b) showing end faces of a specific form of the first embodiment 100, and Figs. 2(c) to (e) showing end faces of a specific form of the second embodiment 200.

[0049] The embodiment shown in Fig. 2(a) is a form in the case of a single sheet, as described above. This single sheet-type food 1 may be made of a single ingredient, may be made of a mixture of multiple ingredients, or may contain additives.

[0050] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2(b), the sheet-type food 1 similar to that described above is laminated on another material 2. The other material 2 can be, for example, a gum base. As the gum base, vinyl acetate resin, polyisobutylene, etc. can be used. By arranging the gum base in the center and laminating the sheet-type food 1 on both sides of it, firstly, it can be used without distinguishing between the front and back, and secondly, one sheet-type food 1 can be used for attachment to the dentition, and the other sheet-type food 1 can be used for gradual dissolution by the tongue (saliva). In addition, since the central layer 2 is not a slowly soluble material, it can be eaten as a normal food (such as a chewing gum) after the surface sheet-type food 1 is dissolved by saliva.

[0051] When chewing gum is a food that is chewed after it dissolves, the act of chewing itself trains the tongue muscles, but when chewing gum is bubble gum, the tongue muscles can be further trained by the action of blowing up the balloon. In other words, blowing up bubble gum requires a different tongue movement than usual. Therefore, the action of moving the tongue along the dentition during the gradual dissolution, combined with the action of blowing up the balloon, allows for efficient tongue muscle training.

[0052] In addition, in the case of foods that are difficult to dissolve, such as candy, rice cake, or gummy candy, the surface layer 1 and the main layer 2 may be laminated. In this case, the two layers 1 and 2 may be made of the same material or different materials. Basically, the material of the surface layer 1 is made of a material that dissolves more easily than the material of the main layer 2, so that the main layer 2 can be chewed and eaten after the surface layer 1 gradually dissolves. In this case, if the taste of the surface layer 1 and the main layer 2 is changed, it is easy to know that the surface layer 1 has dissolved. Note that the material to be laminated (main layer 2 only) is not limited to the above examples, and any food that is stable in shape at room temperature can be used. In the case of using foods that are difficult to dissolve, the food can be eaten by chewing after the surface layer 1 has dissolved.

[0053] Furthermore, when the main layer 2 is used as a base layer, the main layer 2 can be a desired food material (e.g., mochi or Japanese confectionery) and the surface layer 1 made of a slowly soluble material can be laminated on its surface, or the surface layer 1 can carry a powder of a slowly soluble material. That is, the same effect can be obtained if the main layer 2 is in the form of a suitable sheet and the slowly soluble material is present on its surface. When the main layer (base layer) 2 is sticky, the powder of the slowly soluble material can be fixed by utilizing its adhesive force, or a slowly soluble material can be applied and gelled, so that the slowly soluble material is present in a thin film state on the entire or part of the surface of the main layer (base layer) 2.

[0054] 2(c) to (e) are specific examples of the second embodiment, and the individual sheet-type foods constituting these can be either a single-layer type as shown in FIG. 2(a) or (b) or a multi-layer type. This type of description will not be particularly described in the description of the individual specific examples.

[0055] The embodiment shown in Fig. 2(c) is a form simply folded in half. The folding line in this case is the central part (center line) 3 along the longitudinal direction. In the case of the embodiment 200 in such a folded state, the flat parts 11 and 12 can be attached to the front and back of the tooth row at the same time.

[0056] The embodiment shown in Fig. 2(d) is a form in which the above-mentioned folded form is further folded inward. In this embodiment, the central part (center line) 3 along the longitudinal direction is the first folding line, and the two further folding lines 4, 5 along the longitudinal direction are formed, and by folding back at the two folding lines 4, 5, flat parts 11, 12 are formed with the long side edges facing inward. In this case, for example, even when a multi-layered sheet-type food (Fig. 2(b)) is used, if the slowly soluble material is laminated only on one side and this slowly soluble material layer is formed as the outermost layer, it may be possible to adhere the food to the surface of the dentition and slowly dissolve the food by the tongue (saliva).

[0057] The embodiment shown in Fig. 2(e) is a shape in which a gap H corresponding to the dental arch is opened in advance. Basically, it is partially opened when using the folded form shown in Fig. 2(c), but such a form can be used when the range of deformation is narrow depending on the material used.

[0058] Since the tongue muscle training foods 100 and 200 are embodied as described above, any of the tongue muscle training foods 100 and 200 can be attached to the dentition and gradually dissolved by tongue movement (the effect of saliva). By gradually dissolving at this time, the ingredients are gradually taken into the oral cavity and become ingestible, so that it can be enjoyed as a food (as a kind of luxury item). By moving the tongue for this gradual dissolution, a tongue muscle training effect is obtained.

[0059] Therefore, an embodiment of the method of using the above tongue muscle training food will be described. FIG. 3(a) shows a state where the above tongue muscle training food 100 is attached to the outer surface of the upper jaw dentition Aa and the lower jaw dentition Ab as a representative example of the state of use. As described above, the tongue muscle training food 100 of the first embodiment is formed in a sheet shape (not folded in half), so it can be attached horizontally along the dentition Aa and Ab. The attachment at this time is due to the surface of the sheet-like food being gradually dissolved by a small amount of saliva present on the surface of the dentition. That is, just before wearing, the surface of the dentition Aa and Ab is moistened with saliva by licking the dentition Aa and Ab, etc. The sheet-like food can be easily attached to the surface of the dentition Aa and Ab by slightly dissolving the slowly soluble material on the surface with this saliva.

[0060] At this time, as shown in Fig. 3(a), one side of the tongue muscle training food 100 is attached to either or both of the outer surface A1 and the inner surface A2 of the tooth A. When attached to both sides A1 and A2, each individual piece of food for tongue muscle training 100 is attached individually.

[0061] When using the tongue muscle training food 200 folded in half, as shown in Figs. 3(c) and (d), one of the two flat surfaces 11, 12 is attached to the inner surface A2 of the tooth A (Fig. 3(c)), and then the other flat surface 12 is attached to the outer surface A1 of the tooth A (Fig. 3(d)). By attaching the food separately to both sides A1, A2 of the tooth A in this way, rather than simultaneously, the tongue muscle training food 200 after attachment is in a suitable state along the dental arch. The order of attachment is not particularly limited, and the food may be attached to the outer surface A1 first, and then to the inner surface A2.

[0062] As described above, once any of the tongue muscle training foods 100, 200 is attached to the dentition, the tongue is then moved as if licking the surface of the tongue muscle training food 100, 200. The tongue is moved so that the tip of the tongue reaches the entire surface of the tongue muscle training food 100, 200 so that the gradually dissolving material dissolves entirely.

[0063] This movement is shown in Figures 4 and 5. For example, as shown in Figure 4(a), when licking the outer surface of the maxillary dentition Aa, the mandible C is slightly protruded, the tongue B is extended forward, and the tongue tip B1 is pushed between the upper lip Da and the dentition Aa. Furthermore, by moving the tongue tip B1 left and right along the dental arch while maintaining this state, the tongue tip B1 can be made to reach the entire area. This movement promotes the activity of the extrinsic tongue muscles (genioglossus, hyoglossus, and styloglossus), and has the effect of training the tongue muscles.

[0064] Similarly, as shown in Figure 4(b), when licking the outer surface of the mandibular dentition Ab, the mandible C is moved back slightly and the entire tongue B is pulled back, pushing the tongue tip B1 between the lower lip Db and the dentition Ab. At this time, the outer surface of the dentition Ab can be licked with the underside of the tongue tip B1. In this case as well, by moving the tongue tip B1 from side to side along the dental arch, the extrinsic tongue muscles are actively exercised, and the effect of training the tongue muscles can be obtained.

[0065] Generally, the action of the tongue tip B1 reaching the outer surface of the teeth Aa, Ab is rarely performed, so it is preferable to train the tongue muscles at least focusing on the outer surface of the teeth Aa, Ab as described above, but further, moving the tongue tip B1 on the inner surfaces of the teeth Aa, Ab as well will have an effect on training the tongue muscles.

[0066] In this case, when the tongue tip B1 is to reach the inner surface of the maxillary dentition Aa, the tongue B is pulled back and the tongue tip B1 is lifted, as shown in Fig. 5(a). When the tongue tip B1 is to reach the inner surface of the mandibular dentition Ab, the tongue B is pulled back and the tongue tip B1 is pressed downward a little in front of it, as shown in Fig. 5(b). In this state, the tongue tip B1 is moved left and right along the dental arch, which actively works the extrinsic tongue muscles, and a tongue muscle training effect can be obtained.

[0067] By moving the tongue tip B1 evenly on the outside and inside of the upper and lower teeth Aa and Ab as described above several times a day, the entire tongue muscles will be trained. By training the extrinsic tongue muscles, it is possible to prevent sleep apnea syndrome and to develop muscle strength for normal swallowing movements.

[0068] <Third embodiment> The third embodiment of the tongue muscle training food is, for example, configured with a sheet food 1 made of a slowly soluble material in the form of a sheet having an oval surface, as shown in Fig. 6(a). The surface shape of the sheet food 1 is not limited to an oval shape, but may be rectangular, and may be various shapes such as a Daruma shape or a circle. The tongue muscle training food 300 configured in this way can be used by adhering it to any surface in the oral cavity and gradually dissolving it using the tip of the tongue in that state.

[0069] Also, as shown in Figs. 6(b) and (c), a tongue muscle training food 400 may be configured in which a plurality of relatively small protrusions 6 are arranged at appropriate intervals on one surface (surface) 10a of a sheet-type food 1. The protrusions 6 may be cylindrical with a circular bottom surface having a diameter of 2 mm to 5 mm, for example, and the mutual intervals may be set in the range of 1 mm to 3 mm. In addition, when the surface of the sheet-type food 1 is a rectangle of, for example, 30 mm x 20 mm, the state having 12 protrusions 6 as shown in Fig. 6(b) can be changed to the state having 6 protrusions 6 as shown in Fig. 6(c). Note that the surface shape of the sheet-type food 1 is not limited to a rectangle, but may be any shape such as a circle or an ellipse, and the overall dimensions and number of the above examples can be appropriately changed. In addition, the cylindrical protrusions 6 may be hollow.

[0070] When forming hollow protrusions 6, two types of sheet type foods 1A and 1B can be laminated as shown in Fig. 6(d). In this case, one sheet type food 1A is the surface layer and the other sheet type food 1B is the main body layer, and the surface layer 1A is formed with protrusions 6 (depressions from the back side), and by laminating these two, the protrusions 6 can be made hollow. The two types of sheet type foods 1A and 1B can be made of the same slowly soluble material, or they can be laminated with foods made of different materials.

[0071] In this manner, in the embodiment having the protrusions 6, for example, the protrusions 6 may be simply formed of a single slowly soluble material, or may be constructed by laminating a plurality of slowly soluble materials. The protrusions 6 may be configured to protrude from the slowly soluble material as shown in Fig. 7(a), or may be hollow as shown in Fig. 7(b).

[0072] In either form of the training food 300, 400, as shown in Fig. 7(c), the training food is attached to the oral cavity surface behind the upper dentition and dissolved gradually by the tip of the tongue, thereby training the tongue muscles. In the case of a form without the protruding portion 6, there is no distinction between the front and back, so if one side is attached to the oral cavity surface, the other side is exposed toward the tongue, and this surface can be dissolved gradually by licking it with the tip of the tongue.

[0073] In contrast, in the case of a form having protrusions 6, the surface (rear side) on which the protrusions 6 are not formed is attached to the intraoral surface, so that the surface (front side) having the protrusions 6 is exposed toward the tongue. Thus, the protrusions 6 can be gradually dissolved by the tip of the tongue. Furthermore, in the case where the protrusions 6 are hollow, the protrusions 6 can be used to be destroyed (burst) by pressing the tip of the tongue against the protrusions 6 with an appropriate strength. The action of pressing the tip of the tongue strongly against the intraoral surface is not an action that occurs in everyday life, and therefore improves the training effect of the tongue muscles.

[0074] The protrusions 6 may be provided on both surfaces (front surface 10a and back surface 10b) of the sheet-type food 1. In this case, the position of the protrusions 6 on back surface 10b is set to a position where the protrusions 6 are not provided on front surface 10a, so that the tongue movement is required to destroy (burst) the protrusions 6 on back surface 10b by pressing the tip of the tongue against the flat portion on front surface 10a, thereby enabling training involving more complicated tongue movements.

[0075] <Fourth embodiment> In the fourth embodiment of the tongue muscle training food, as shown in Fig. 8(a) and (b), for example, the sheet type food 1 is generally formed in a substantially dome shape. The substantially dome shape includes not only the sheet type food 1 having an arcuate cross section as shown in Fig. 8(a), but also the circular, elliptical or rectangular sheet type food 1 having a peripheral portion folded in a pleated shape to form a bottom and a tubular shape with a bottom and side portions as shown in Fig. 8(b). The sheet type food 1 having such a substantially dome shape may be formed by drawing (drawing mold) in addition to being formed by molding using a molding die. The shape folded in a pleated shape may also be formed by drawing using a drawing mold.

[0076] In this way, by forming the sheet type food 1 into a substantially dome shape as a whole and by setting the diameter of the opening to about 5 mm to 20 mm, the tip of the tongue can be inserted into the substantially dome-shaped interior. That is, the tip of the tongue can be covered with the sheet type food 1. In addition, in the case of a shape having a pleated portion, the diameter of the opening can be enlarged according to the size of the individual tongue by expanding the pleated portion. When the tip of the tongue comes into contact with the sheet type food 1, its surface melts slightly, so that the sheet type food 1 can be attached in a state of being in close contact with the tip of the tongue. If the sheet type food 1 is in such a state of being in close contact with the tip of the tongue, the sheet type food 1 will not easily come off the tip of the tongue even if the tip of the tongue is brought into sliding contact with the surface of the oral cavity, and the tip of the tongue can move freely while maintaining the covering state.

[0077] Therefore, when using the tongue muscle training food 500 of the above-mentioned form, as shown in Fig. 8(c), if the tongue tip is rubbed against the oral cavity surface while the approximately dome-shaped sheet food 1 is attached to the tongue tip, the sheet food 1 will gradually dissolve, and the tongue muscle will be trained by this action. Furthermore, in the case of the training food 500 of this form, not only the tongue tip but also the tongue body is covered with the sheet food 1, so that the approximately dome-shaped sheet food 1 can be gradually dissolved as a whole by rubbing the side of the tongue body against the oral cavity surface without concentrating the use of the tongue tip alone. In this way, active tongue action, such as changing the direction of the tongue tip, is required, and the tongue muscle training effect can be improved by complex tongue action.

[0078] The training food 500 of this type may be sized to cover only a small portion of the tip of the tongue as shown in the figure (FIG. 8(c)), but may also be sized to cover an appropriate range of the tongue. In this case, the diameter of the opening of the sheet-type food 1 is configured to be larger than the above.

[0079] Although the embodiment of the present invention is as described above, the above embodiment shows an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Therefore, some of the components of the present embodiment may be changed, or other elements may be added.

[0080] That is, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the food can be eaten, but if these foods can be easily eaten as luxury items, the tongue muscle training effect can be obtained while achieving the purpose of ingesting the luxury item. Therefore, it can be used at the same time and place as ingesting general luxury items. For example, the tongue muscle training foods 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 can be eaten like gummy candies containing a refreshing agent that are eaten during breaks at work. Although the tongue muscle is trained, the tongue tip can be moved many times along the dental arch or in contact with the surface of the oral cavity in about one minute, so that the slowly dissolving material can be dissolved during that time and the whole can be eaten. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1. Sheet food (or surface layer) 1A Sheet-type food (surface layer) 1B Sheet-type food (main layer) 2 Other ingredients (gum base or body layer) 3 Fold line (center, center line) 4,5 Fold lines 6 Protrusion 10a Surface of sheet-type food 10b Surface (reverse side) of sheet-type food 11,12 Plane part 13 Groove 100,200,300,400,500 Food for tongue muscle training Tooth A Aa,Ab dentition B Tongue B1 Tip of the tongue C lower jaw Da upper lip Db lower lip E Intraoral surface (maxillary surface) H gap T Thickness

Claims

1. A tongue muscle training food that can train the tongue muscles by adhering it to the surface of the oral cavity behind the upper dentition and dissolving it with the tip of the tongue, the food being composed of a sheet-like food made of a slowly soluble material made only from water-soluble materials or a slowly soluble material made mainly from water-soluble materials, a sheet-like food made by laminating or supporting the slowly soluble material on the surface of a sheet-like base layer made of a desired food material, or a sheet-like food made by laminating a slowly soluble material of the same or different type as the slowly soluble material or another food material on the slowly soluble material to form a sheet, the sheet food having a thickness of several tens of μm, and at least one of the front and back surfaces of the sheet food being composed of a surface without protrusions so that it can be attached to the surface of the oral cavity.

2. 2. The tongue muscle training food according to claim 1, wherein the water-soluble material is one or more selected from starch, starch derivatives, glutinous rice, rice flour, agar, gelatin, carrageenan, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic, gum furcellaria, gellan gum, guar gum, cassia gum, tara gum, tamarind gum, psyllium seed gum, Azotobacter vinelandii gum, pectin, konjac mannan, sodium alginate, curdlan, soybean protein, zein, casein, pullulan and cellulose derivatives.

3. The tongue muscle training food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the slowly soluble material further contains at least one of tea catechins, urea peroxide, lactic acid bacteria, vitamins, collagen, folic acid, enzymes, proteins, alpha-linolenic acid, proteins, anthocyanins, polyphenols, placenta, glucosamine, chondroitin, zinc, proteoglycan, magnesium, turmeric and food sweeteners.

4. 4. The tongue muscle training food according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet-like food is manufactured as a food selected from the group consisting of candy, rice cake, dumpling, candy, chewing gum, gummy candy, chewing candy and wafer.

5. 3. The tongue muscle training food according to claim 1, wherein the water-soluble material is starch, the sheet-like food is an oblate, and the thickness of the sheet-like food is within the range of 30 μm to 50 μm.

6. 6. The tongue muscle training food according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-type food is formed into a horizontally long rectangle.

7. A tongue muscle training method using a tongue muscle training food according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the surface or back surface of the sheet-like food on which no protrusions are provided is attached to the surface of the oral cavity behind the upper jaw dentition, and gradually dissolved by licking with the tip of the tongue.

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