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NCT Number: NCT07700654

Smart Facial Exercise Coaching System for Older Adults

Participants will participate in a 5-day facial exercise program and will be assessed at baseline, immediately after completion of the intervention, and 1 month after completion of the intervention.

Older adults aged 60 years and above who are able to communicate in Mandarin or Taiwanese and who participate in activities at adult day-care centers or community care centers will be eligible for inclusion. Individuals with severe visual or hearing impairment, moderate to severe dementia, inability to communicate verbally, obvious facial wounds or lesions, or medical conditions affecting swallowing function (e.g., stroke) will be excluded from participation.

A total of approximately 130 participants will be recruited and assigned to one of two groups:

Intervention Group (n ≈ 65): Participants will perform facial exercises using the Smart Facial Coaching System.

Control Group (n ≈ 65): Participants will perform facial exercises by following a video-based facial exercise program.

After providing informed consent and meeting the eligibility criteria, participants will complete baseline assessments, including structured questionnaires and the Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST).

Participants in both groups will then perform facial exercises for five consecutive days, with each session lasting approximately 10-15 minutes.

Upon completion of the 5-day facial exercise program, participants will complete post-intervention assessments, including structured questionnaires and the Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST).

One month after completion of the intervention, participants will complete follow-up questionnaires assessing facial exercise behavior and psychosocial outcomes, which will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

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Key information

Conditions

Aging

Age range

60 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Taipei, Taipei City, 112304, Taiwan

About this study

Program description is as follows:

Intervention Group (n ≈ 65): Participants will perform facial exercises using the Smart Facial Coaching System. The program consists of four components, and each session will last approximately 10-15 minutes.

  • Eye Exercises: Gentle eye closure, forceful eye closure, eye opening, and lateral eye stretching exercises to promote eye muscle activity (approximately 2-3 minutes).
  • Mouth Opening Exercises: Maximum mouth opening and repetitive mouth-opening exercises to promote perioral muscle activity (approximately 3-4 minutes).
  • Oral Function Exercises: Articulation exercises, cheek exercises, tongue exercises, salivary gland massage, and swallowing exercises to promote oral function (approximately 3-5 minutes).
  • Smiling Exercises: Viewing happy facial expression images, facial relaxation exercises, and smile imitation exercises to promote facial muscle activity (approximately 1-2 minutes).

Control Group (n ≈ 65): Participants will perform facial exercises by following an oral health exercise video available on YouTube. The exercise program includes facial muscle exercises, tongue exercises, salivary gland massage, swallowing exercises, and articulation exercises.

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/_Q4DwWXJ4S4?si=Ld10bgiklFLwTHPc

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Willing to participate in this study voluntarily.
  • Able to provide written informed consent.
  • Aged 60 years or older.
  • Able to communicate in Mandarin Chinese or Taiwanese.

Exclusion criteria

  • Severe visual or hearing impairment.
  • Diagnosis of moderate to severe dementia.
  • Inability to communicate verbally.
  • Presence of obvious structural or pathological lesions of the face.
  • Diseases or conditions affecting swallowing function (e.g., stroke).

Treatment and study plan

Smart Facial Coaching System

Behavioral

Participants perform facial exercises using the Smart Facial Coaching System for approximately 10-15 minutes per day for 5 consecutive days.

Video-Based Facial Exercise

Behavioral

Participants perform facial exercises by following a video-based facial exercise program for approximately 10-15 minutes per day for 5 consecutive days.

Primary outcomes

  1. Facial Exercise Behavior

    Time frame: Baseline, immediately after completion of the 5-day intervention, and 1 month after completion of the intervention.

    Assessed using a structured questionnaire evaluating facial exercise behavior.

  2. Psychosocial Outcomes Related to Facial Exercise

    Time frame: Baseline, immediately after completion of the 5-day intervention, and 1 month after completion of the intervention.

    Assessed using structured questionnaires evaluating psychosocial outcomes related to facial exercise.

  3. Eye Discomfort and Oral Function

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the 5-day intervention.

    Assessed using structured questionnaires evaluating eye discomfort symptoms and oral function.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST)

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the 5-day intervention.

    Assessed using the Repetitive Saliva Swallowing Test (RSST), measuring the number of saliva swallows completed within 30 seconds.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Chiu-Mieh Huang, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+886-2-28267362

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Development and Testing of a Smart Facial Coaching System for Older Adults

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 14, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 28, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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