title: Age differences in orofacial sensory thresholds.
abstract: Declines in sensory functioning with aging are evident for many of the senses. In the present study, thresholds were determined for somatosensory (warming and cooling temperature, pain, touch, and two-point discrimination) and taste stimuli in 178 healthy individuals aged 20-89 yrs. Somatosensory stimuli were applied to the upper lip (glabrous skin) and the chin (hairy skin). The sample was divided into two groups, based on a bimodal split "< 45 yrs" and "≥ 65 yrs". In all instances, there were elevations in thresholds for the older individuals. Further, males were less sensitive than females for cool at the chin site, for touch, and for sour taste. We conclude that there are elevations in sensory thresholds with age for multimodal somatosensory and gustatory senses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Claude D. Pepper Center, University of Florida, Box 100416, HSC, Gainesville, FL 32610-0416, USA. mwheft@ufl.edu
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Heft
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002680:Chin / Q000502:physiology; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D013652:Taste Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000502:physiology; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D019343:Citric Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride