Oral physiology and the Baltimore longitudinal study of aging.

Abstract

Since initiation of the oral physiology component of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging in 1978 almost 500 individuals have been examined. Participants are generally healthy males and females ranging in age from 25 to 93. The goal of this study is to determine oral health status during the “normal” process of aging. A dental/medical history and subjective reports of oral motor, oral sensory and salivary function are elicited. The current objective test battery includes an oral exam, salivary flow rate determination, and assessment of taste, temperature, texture and pressure differentiation, as well as olfaction, and oral motor function. Results indicate no age‐related changes occur in stimulated parotid or unstimutated or citrate‐stimulated submandibular salivary flow rates. In addition, oral motor and oral sensory skill deficits were found to be generally independent of age. However, olfactory ability, as measured by an olfactory recognition test, declined after age 65 for both sexes, as did the ability of older subjects to judge pressure differences applied to the tongue.