Artificial food bolus rolling kit, artificial food bolus rolling method using the same, and masticatory function evaluation system

Abstract

To provide an artificial bolus rolling kit capable of preventing breakage of fine particles when rolling an artificial bolus, and correctly counting the number of fine particles, an artificial bolus rolling method using the same kit and a mastication function evaluation system.SOLUTION: There is provided an artificial bolus rolling kit which is used for rolling an artificial bolus, for measuring mastication efficiency using the artificial bolus, the artificial bolus including fine particles which are finely pulverized and ground by mastication and has a spherical shape when not being masticated, and the artificial bolus rolling kit comprises: a praeparatio for counting the number of fine particles formed of a transmissive material; a lubrication oil applied to the praeparatio for counting the number of fine particles; a press plate for holding the praeparatio for counting the number of fine particles in a state of holding the artificial bolus by the praeparatio for counting the number of fine particles; and holding means for applying force in a direction where the artificial bolus is held by the press plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an artificial food bolus rolling kit for rolling an artificial food bolus containing substantially uniform spherical microparticles that have the property of being finely crushed and ground by mastication and for facilitating image taking for the index of the microparticles when performing a masticatory function evaluation using the artificial food bolus, and an artificial food bolus rolling method and masticatory function evaluation system using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Chewing, that is, the act of breaking down food, mixing it well with saliva, forming a moist bolus of appropriate size, and preparing it to be swallowed, is not only necessary for humans to eat solid foods, but is also said to have a stimulating and relaxing effect, prevent obesity, dementia, poor eyesight, poor posture, tooth decay, cancer, etc., and inhibit age-related changes by increasing the amount of blood in the brain.

[0003] This chewing ability (chewing efficiency) is influenced by numerous factors, including the number of teeth, the health of the teeth, the shape of the occlusal surface, the condition of the periodontal tissues, jaw shape, chewing muscle strength, pattern of mandibular movement, age, and the condition of the prosthesis.

[0004] In order to quantify such chewing efficiency, the inventors developed an artificial food bolus containing "almost uniform spherical microparticles that have the property of being finely crushed and ground by chewing" and a system for evaluating chewing function using this artificial food bolus (Patent Document 1).

[0005] This masticatory function evaluation system includes a step of having a human chew an artificial food bolus containing microparticles that have been finely crushed and ground by chewing and have a spherical shape when not chewed, a step of sandwiching the chewed artificial food bolus between two slides and rolling it to an appropriate thickness so as not to crush the microparticles, and a step of counting the number of spherical microparticles remaining in the artificial food bolus rolled between the two slides.

[0006] The artificial bolus used in this masticatory function evaluation system is, for example, a base material made of polyisobutylene, which is kneaded with and contains carnauba wax, a type of natural wax, which has been adjusted into nearly uniform spherical fine particles.

[0007] It is generally known that the upper and lower teeth move by about 100 μm each during chewing. For this reason, the diameter of the particles is set to about 100 to 500 μm in order to define them as "fine particles that are finely crushed and ground by chewing."

[0008] The chewing efficiency is quantified by having a human chew an artificial food bolus containing particles of this size, then sandwiching the chewed artificial food bolus between two slides and rolling it to an appropriate thickness so as not to crush the particles, and counting the number of spherical particles remaining in the artificial food bolus rolled between the two slides.

[0009] In order to test the masticatory efficiency with high accuracy, the artificial bolus contains about 2000 particles, and the particles are uniformly dispersed in the artificial bolus, which can reduce errors in the test results caused by individual differences in the artificial bolus (e.g., the number of particles contained in the artificial bolus).

[0010] However, it is difficult to count particles of this size accurately by visual inspection, and it is usually necessary to count them by pattern matching or the like using a dedicated counting system consisting of a photographing device, a computer, etc.

[0011] For this reason, the present inventors have developed a system that can easily count rolled artificial food boluses using image data captured by a user terminal such as a smartphone.

[0012] In recent years, the performance of cameras installed in smartphones has improved, and it is now possible to capture images clear enough that even spherical particles with diameters of approximately 300 μm to 1000 μm can be counted through computer-based image analysis.

[0013] When photographing an artificial food bolus with a smartphone, for example, a preparation as disclosed in Patent Document 2 is used, and the microparticles are rolled to a thickness that is not crushed, making it easier to photograph the microparticles.

[0014] Furthermore, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, the inventors have simplified the structure to reduce the cost of the preparation, and have also developed a preparation that corrects images taken by the user into images that make it easier to count spherical microparticles, making it possible to count spherical microparticles by computer using approximately homogeneous images, regardless of the user's shooting method or the type of smartphone or other device used by the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0015] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2008 / 020588 [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-089146 A [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-000261 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0016] When rolling an artificial bolus using such a preparation, the artificial bolus is placed approximately at the center of the preparation, sandwiched between the preparations, and rolled using a resin roller or the like.

[0017] However, even when the three-folded preparation disclosed in Patent Document 2 was used, the preparation substrate could bend during rolling with rollers, and pressure could be applied even to the microparticles, causing them to be damaged.

[0018] In view of the current situation, the present invention aims to provide an artificial food bolus rolling kit that can prevent damage to fine particles when rolling an artificial food bolus and enable accurate counting of fine particles, an artificial food bolus rolling method using the same, and a masticatory function evaluation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0019] The present invention has been invented to solve the problems in the prior art as described above. The artificial food bolus rolling kit of the present invention comprises the following steps: 1. An artificial food bolus rolling kit for rolling an artificial food bolus containing fine particles that are finely crushed or ground by mastication and have a spherical shape when not masticated, for measuring mastication efficiency, comprising: A preparation for counting fine particles made of a light-transmitting material; A lubricating oil to be applied to the microparticle counting preparation; a press plate for sandwiching the microparticle counting preparation with the artificial food bolus sandwiched between the microparticle counting preparation; a pressing means for applying a force in a direction in which the artificial bolus is pressed by the press plate; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0020] In such an artificial food bolus rolling kit, the microparticle counting preparation is preferably made of a soft material. The microparticle counting preparation preferably includes an identifier.

[0021] In such an artificial food bolus rolling kit, the press plate is preferably made of a hard material harder than the microparticle counting preparation.

[0022] The method for rolling an artificial bolus of the present invention further comprises the steps of: An artificial food bolus rolling method for rolling an artificial food bolus using any one of the above-mentioned artificial food bolus rolling kits, comprising the steps of: applying the lubricating oil to the center of the inner surface of the preparation for particle counting; having a subject chew the artificial bolus a predetermined number of times; a step of rolling the chewed artificial food mass into a ball while kneading it with hot water; placing the rolled artificial bolus on the center of the inner surface of the microparticle counting preparation, closing the microparticle counting preparation to clamp the artificial bolus, and pressing the artificial bolus against the microparticle counting preparation to expand it into a substantially circular shape; a step of sandwiching the microparticle counting preparation with the press plates and applying a force for a predetermined time in a direction to sandwich the artificial bolus with the press plates using the clamping means; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0023] In such an artificial food bolus rolling method, it is preferable that a disinfectant is added to the warm water.

[0024] In addition, the masticatory function evaluation system of the present invention includes: Using an evaluation preparation in a state in which an artificial bolus is compressed, which is prepared using any one of the above-mentioned artificial bolus rolling kits, subject A masticatory function evaluation system for evaluating the masticatory function of a subject evaluation device including at least an identifier reading means and an input / output means; a management server in which a database of identification character strings assigned to available microparticle counting slides is stored; The microparticle counting preparation further includes an identifier having an identification character string recorded thereon, The subject evaluation device includes: Filming methodA particle counting means is provided, the particle counting means being configured to count the number of particles that are not finely crushed or ground and remain in the artificial bolus by analyzing the evaluation image of the evaluation preparation taken by the method, the subject evaluation device transmits the identification character string recorded in the identifier read by the identifier reading means to the management server; the management server searches the database for the received identification character string, and if the identification character string exists, transmits usage permission data to the subject evaluation device, whereas if the identification character string does not exist, transmits usage prohibition data to the subject evaluation device; The subject evaluation device is characterized in that it is configured to stop operation of the particle counting means when it receives the unusable data, and to continue operation of the particle counting means when it receives the usable data. Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention, the artificial bolus is clamped between a microparticle counting preparation made of a soft material, and a clamping means is used to clamp the artificial bolus so that it gradually becomes flat, thereby preventing damage to the microparticles contained in the artificial bolus.

[0026] Furthermore, by providing an identifier on the microparticle counting preparation, it is possible to prevent the reuse of the microparticle counting preparation, which can lead to defects in the evaluation of masticatory function. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an artificial food bolus rolling kit in this embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a preparation for counting fine particles. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of producing an evaluation preparation using a microparticle counting preparation. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of producing an evaluation preparation using a microparticle counting preparation. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of producing an evaluation preparation using a microparticle counting preparation. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of the masticatory function evaluation system in this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the holder in this embodiment, where FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view seen from above, and FIG. 7(b) is a perspective view seen from below. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for photographing an evaluation preparation using the holder of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an artificial food bolus rolling kit in this embodiment. The artificial food bolus rolling kit 10 of this embodiment includes a microparticle counting preparation 20, lubricating oil 30, a clamping means 50, and a press plate 60. When rolling the artificial food bolus, warm water 40 is used in addition to the artificial food bolus rolling kit 10.

[0029] 2, the microparticle counting preparation 20 is made by forming a flat plate made of a light-transmitting material such as a light-transmitting resin into a predetermined shape. In this embodiment, the microparticle counting preparation 20 is made of a soft material. Examples of such a soft material include soft polyvinyl chloride resin (soft PVC), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyethylene resin (PE), polyester resin (PEs), etc., and a composite film may also be made by laminating films made of these resins.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2( a ), the microparticle counting preparation 20 is made up of an upper plate portion 22 and a lower plate portion 24 . The lower plate 24 is provided with a central frame 24a and an outer frame 24b that serve as guides for placing the subject "artificial bolus containing spherical microparticles." The sizes of the central frame 24a and the outer frame 24b can be appropriately set according to the size of the artificial bolus. For example, when using an artificial bolus of 1 g to 1.5 g, the central frame 24a can be a circle with a diameter of 15 mm, and the outer frame 24b can be a square with one side of 65 mm.

[0031] In addition, in this embodiment, the central frame 24a is circular and the outer frame 24b is square, but the shapes of the central frame 24a and the outer frame 24b are not particularly limited, and for example, the central frame 24a may be square and the outer frame 24b may be circular.

[0032] As described above, the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 24 of the microparticle counting preparation 20 are required to be translucent, but considering that the artificial food bolus will be photographed with a camera, it is preferable that they are colorless and transparent.

[0033] It is preferable that the outer diameters of the upper plate portion 22 and the lower plate portion 24 are substantially the same. By forming in this manner, the artificial food bolus can be folded neatly as shown in Fig. 2(b), and it becomes easier to roll the artificial food bolus uniformly.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 2(a), the boundary 23 between the upper plate 22 and the lower plate 24 is weakened to make it easier to fold as shown in Fig. 2(b). Specifically, the thickness of the boundary 23 can be reduced by making cuts at predetermined intervals (perforations) or by making grooves.

[0035] In addition, it is preferable to provide an identifier 26 on the microparticle-counting preparation 20. By providing such an identifier 26, the microparticle-counting preparation 20 can be individually identified in a masticatory function evaluation system described later. This makes it possible to prevent reuse of the microparticle-counting preparation 20, which may lead to problems in masticatory function evaluation. In this embodiment, the identifier 26 uses a QR code (registered trademark) including a character string for identifying the microparticle-counting preparation 20, but is not limited thereto, and other two-dimensional codes, bar codes, RFIDs (radio frequency identifiers) such as NFC (Near Field Communication) tags, etc. can also be used.

[0036] The lubricating oil 30 is not particularly limited as long as it does not have adverse effects such as dissolving the fine particles contained in the artificial bolus, and may be mineral oil or vegetable oil.

[0037] The hot water 40 may be water of about 45° C. or higher, and may be distilled water or tap water. A disinfectant may be added to the hot water 40. For example, an iodine-based preparation may be used as the disinfectant.

[0038] As described later, the clamping means 50 clamps the artificial bolus between the microparticle counting preparation 20, and further clamps it between the press plates 60, 60, and applies a force in a direction to clamp the artificial bolus with the press plates 60, 60. As such clamping means 50, for example, a so-called turn clip, eye clip, mountain clip, or a vice can be used.

[0039] The press plate 60 is a flat plate made of a hard material harder than the microparticle-counting preparation 20. Examples of such hard materials that can be used include acrylic resin (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), AS resin (SAN), and hard polyvinyl chloride resin (hard PVC). Moreover, the press plate 60 is preferably colorless and transparent so that the state of the artificial bolus can be confirmed during the rolling operation described below.

[0040] By using the artificial food bolus rolling kit 10 configured in this manner to roll the "artificial food bolus containing spherical microparticles" used by the subject in the test, damage to the microparticles during rolling can be prevented, and microparticle images can be taken that enable accurate counting of the microparticles.

[0041] In this embodiment, an artificial bolus containing a predetermined number of particles such as carnauba wax or seamless capsules in a chewing gum is used as the "artificial bolus containing spherical particles", but the type of particles and the type of base material of the artificial bolus are not particularly limited. The size of the particles is not particularly limited, but for example, when an artificial bolus of 1 g to 1.5 g is used, the size can be about 100 μm to 2 mm. The number of particles contained in the artificial bolus is not particularly limited, but for example, when an artificial bolus of 1 g to 1.5 g and the size of the particles is about 500 μm, it is preferable that the number is about 110 to 130.

[0042] Hereinafter, a method for rolling an artificial bolus 80 and counting the particles contained in the artificial bolus 80 using the artificial bolus rolling kit 10 in this embodiment will be described. First, the subject's mouth is cleaned by brushing teeth, gargling, etc.

[0043] Next, the lubricating oil 30 is applied to the center frame 24 a at the center of the inner surface of the preparation 20 for counting microparticles. Thereafter, the subject is asked to chew the artificial food bolus 80 a predetermined number of times. The chewed artificial food bolus 80 is rolled into a ball while being kneaded in hot water 40. The number of times that the subject is asked to chew is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 20 to 30 times.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 3(a), the rolled artificial bolus 80 is placed in the central frame 24a at the center of the inner surface of the microparticle counting preparation 20, and the microparticle counting preparation 20 is closed and clamped. In this state, the artificial bolus 80 is pushed out from above the microparticle counting preparation 20 with fingers or the like so as to be roughly circular, as shown in Fig. 3(b).

[0045] Next, as shown in Fig. 4, the microparticle-counting preparation 20 is sandwiched between press plates 60, 60, and a pressure means 50 is used to apply a force in a direction to clamp the artificial bolus with the press plates 60, 60. In this state, the artificial bolus is pressed for a predetermined time, thereby rolling the artificial bolus. Note that in this embodiment, as shown in the figure, two pressing means 50, 50 are used, but the number of pressing means is not particularly limited. It is preferable that the time for pressing the artificial bolus is appropriately changed depending on the size and hardness of the artificial bolus, the magnitude of the pressing force of the pressing means 50, etc.

[0046] In the present invention, the artificial bolus 80 is thus sandwiched between the microparticle-counting preparation 20 made of a soft material, and a force is applied to the artificial bolus 80 in a uniform clamping direction by the clamping means 50. Therefore, unlike the conventional method of rolling the microparticles with rollers, no direct force is applied to the microparticles, and damage to the microparticles can be prevented.

[0047] After the pressure has been applied for a predetermined period of time, the pressure applying means 50, 50 and the press plates 60, 60 are removed, whereby the microparticle counting preparation 20 in which the artificial bolus 80 has been compressed can be obtained as shown in FIG.

[0048] The thus obtained microparticle counting preparation 20 (hereinafter also referred to simply as "evaluation preparation 20'") in which the artificial food bolus 80 is compressed is used to evaluate the subject's masticatory function using a masticatory function evaluation system.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of the masticatory function evaluation system in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the masticatory function evaluation system 100 of this embodiment is realized by the artificial food bolus rolling kit 10 as described above, a program 120 as a fine particle counting means for operating a smartphone 110 as a subject evaluation device in the manner described below, and a management server 130.

[0050] The subject evaluation device may be a computer system equipped with a calculation means, a storage means, an identifier reading means, and an input / output means, and instead of the smartphone 110, for example, a notebook computer and a digital camera may be used.

[0051] The administrative server 130 stores a database 132 of identification strings assigned to available particle counting slides. The smartphone 110 and the management server 130 are connected to each other via a network 140 such as the Internet.

[0052] First, the subject starts the program 120 installed in the smartphone 110, and uses the camera of the smartphone 110, which is an identifier reading means, to photograph the QR code (registered trademark), which is the identifier 26 provided on the microparticle counting slide 20. When an NFC tag is used as the identifier 26, it is possible to configure the smartphone 110, which is an identifier reading means, to use an NFC reader.

[0053] As a result, the smartphone 110 recognizes the identification string recorded in the identifier 26. The smartphone 110 transmits the identification string to the management server 130. The management server 130 searches the database 132 for the received identification string, and if it exists, that is, if it is usable, the management server 130 transmits usage permission data to the smartphone 110. On the other hand, if the received identification string does not exist in the database 132, that is, if it is not usable, the management server 130 transmits unusable data to the smartphone 110.

[0054] When the smartphone 110 receives the unusable data, it displays on the display of the smartphone 110, which is an input / output means, that the particle counting slide 20 is unusable, and stops operation. On the other hand, when the smartphone 110 receives the usage permission data, it continues the following operation.

[0055] As described above, the user prepares the evaluation preparation 20′ using the artificial food bolus rolling kit 10. Next, the user photographs the evaluation preparation 20′ with the camera of the smartphone 110.

[0056] At this time, in order to prevent out-of-focus images and misalignment of the center of the angle of view (shift in the shooting range) caused by camera shake, etc., it is preferable to use a holder 70 to keep the relative position between the evaluation specimen 20' and the camera of the smartphone 110 constant.

[0057] The holder 70 may be, for example, a box having a window 72 for placing the evaluation preparation and a window 74 for photography, as shown in FIG. 7. Using such a holder 70, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the evaluation preparation 20' is placed on a horizontal surface such as a desk, and the holder 70 is placed so that the evaluation preparation 20' fits in the window 72 for placing the evaluation preparation. Then, the smartphone 110 is placed on the holder 70 so that the camera of the smartphone 110 is placed in the photography window 74. In this state, the evaluation preparation 20' is photographed by the camera of the smartphone 110, so that the distance between the camera and the evaluation plate 20' can be kept constant and camera shake can be prevented, and the photographed image can be prevented from being out of focus or the center of the angle of view can be prevented from being deviated, and the number of particles counted by image analysis as described later can be prevented from being adversely affected. In addition, it is preferable that such a holder 70 is formed using a translucent material or provided with a light-collecting window in order to take in a sufficient amount of light for photography.

[0058] When photographing the evaluation preparation 20' with the camera of the smartphone 110, it is preferable to photograph the evaluation preparation 20' from the upper plate portion 22 side. The smartphone 110 analyzes the image of the evaluation preparation 20' taken in this manner (hereinafter referred to as the "evaluation image") to count the number of particles R of "particles that have not been finely crushed or ground" remaining in the artificial bolus.

[0059] Here, the number of particles R can be counted by image analysis, for example, by using pattern matching or edge detection.

[0060] If the total number of spherical particles contained in the artificial food bolus 80 before chewing is M and the number of times the subject chewed is n, then the proportion of particles remaining after n chewings is N n (%) can be calculated by R x 100 / M.

[0061] In addition, the percentage of particles remaining after one chewing, N 1(%) is N n / n. The ratio of particles that the subject can destroy in one chew (chewing efficiency value X) can be calculated as 1-N 1 It can be defined as less than.

[0062] The smartphone 110 can inform the subject of his / her own masticatory efficiency value X by displaying the masticatory efficiency value X calculated in this manner on the display 114.

[0063] When the smartphone 110 receives the usage permission data, a screen for the user to input user information such as name, sex, age, and date of birth may be displayed on the display of the smartphone 110. The input user information and the chewing efficiency value X are transmitted to the management server 130 and stored in association with the identification character string. With this configuration, when the user periodically measures his / her chewing ability, it is possible to check the change over time in the chewing efficiency value X. Furthermore, by configuring the smartphone 110 to input user information in this way, it is possible to protect the user information.

[0064] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10 Artificial Food Bolus Rolling Kit 20. Preparation for particle counting 22 Upper plate 23 Boundary 24 Lower plate part 24a Center Frame 24b Outer frame 26 Identifiers 30 Lubricating Oil 40 Hot water 50 Clamping means 60 Press plate 70 Holder 72 Window for placing evaluation specimen 74 Shooting window 80 Artificial bolus 100 Chewing function evaluation system 110 Smartphone 120 Programs 130 Management Server 132 Database 140 Network

Claims

1. 1. An artificial food bolus rolling kit used for rolling an artificial food bolus containing fine particles that are finely crushed or ground by mastication and have a spherical shape when not masticated, for measuring mastication efficiency, comprising: A preparation for counting fine particles made of a light-transmitting material; A lubricating oil to be applied to the microparticle counting preparation; a press plate for sandwiching the microparticle counting preparation with the artificial food bolus sandwiched between the microparticle counting preparation; and a pressing means for applying a force in a direction to press the artificial bolus with the press plate.

2. 2. The artificial food bolus rolling kit according to claim 1, wherein the microparticle counting preparation is made of a soft material.

3. 3. The artificial food bolus rolling kit according to claim 1, wherein the microparticle counting preparation comprises an identifier.

4. 4. The artificial food bolus rolling kit according to claim 1, wherein the press plate is made of a hard material harder than the microparticle counting preparation.

5. 5. A method for rolling an artificial bolus using the artificial bolus rolling kit according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: applying the lubricating oil to the center of the inner surface of the preparation for particle counting; having a subject chew the artificial bolus a predetermined number of times; a step of rolling the chewed artificial food mass into a ball while kneading it with hot water; placing the rolled artificial bolus on the center of the inner surface of the microparticle counting preparation, closing the microparticle counting preparation to clamp the artificial bolus, and pressing the artificial bolus against the microparticle counting preparation to expand it into a substantially circular shape; and clamping the microparticle counting preparation with the press plates, and using the clamping means, applying a force in a direction to clamp the artificial bolus with the press plates for a predetermined period of time.

6. 6. The method for rolling an artificial bolus according to claim 5, wherein a disinfectant is added to the warm water.

7. 5. A masticatory function evaluation system for evaluating a masticatory function of a subject by using an evaluation preparation in which an artificial bolus is compressed, the evaluation preparation being prepared by using the artificial bolus rolling kit according to claim 1, a subject evaluation device including at least an identifier reading means and an input / output means; a management server in which a database of identification character strings assigned to available microparticle counting slides is stored; The microparticle counting preparation further includes an identifier having an identification character string recorded thereon, The subject evaluation device includes a particle counting means configured to count the number of particles that are not finely crushed or ground and remain in the artificial bolus by analyzing the evaluation image of the evaluation preparation photographed by the photographing means, the subject evaluation device transmits the identification character string recorded in the identifier read by the identifier reading means to the management server; the management server searches the database for the received identification character string, and if the identification character string exists, transmits usage permission data to the subject evaluation device, whereas if the identification character string does not exist, transmits usage prohibition data to the subject evaluation device; A chewing function evaluation system characterized in that the subject evaluation device is configured to stop operation of the particulate counting means when it receives the unusable data, and to continue operation of the particulate counting means when it receives the usable data.

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