Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of aging on tongue movement during mastication by analyzing the tongue pressure against an experimental palatal plate.
The subjects consisted of 11 dentate young (group Y) and 11 dentate elderly (group E) with healthy masticatory function. The tongue pressure during mastication of gummy jelly on the habitual side and swallowing was measured using 5 strain gauges (φ : 6.0 mm, KYOWA) which were placed in an experimental palatal plate (S1: incisive papilla, S2: 10.0 mm from the contact point of maxillary canine and first premolar, S3: 10.0 mm from the contact point of maxillary first and second molar toward midline of palate, S4: middle point of the both side first molar, S5: 4.0 mm from middle point between the feveola palatines). The maximum magnitude, duration and integration values of tongue pressure were analyzed in three masticatory stages (early, middle, late), and we calculated the ratio of total duration time to mastication time (TDT/MT). Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test (p<0.05) .
The results were as follows. There was no difference in maximal magnitude between groups Y and E at all strain gauges in all masticatory stages. The duration and TDT/MT in group E were significantly larger than in group Y at each strain gauge except for S3 in all masticatory stages. The integrated value in group Y was significantly larger than that in group E at S3 in all masticatory stages.
From comparison of the masticatory movement function of the young and elderly dentate, it was suggested that the elderly were coping with the change that took place with aging by supplementing the workload necessary for the formation of the bolus of food by extending the duration of tongue contact over a large area within the palate.
