Aging and oral motor function: evidence for altered performance among older persons.
A physical examination procedure was used to evaluate oral motor functions in a population of 257 community-dwelling males and females ranging in age from 23-88 yr. An increased prevalence of altered motor performance with age was found for parameters measuring lip posture and masticatory muscle function. Also, males, but not females, showed a higher prevalence of alterations in tongue function and in swallowing.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003679:Deglutition; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014059:Tongue / Q000502:physiology