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Published on: April 21, 2021
Factors associated with taste dissatisfaction in the elderly
M Yoshinaka1, M F Yoshinaka, K Ikebe
1Division of Oromaxillofaicial Regeneration, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
|June 15, 2007
Summary
Elderly individuals experiencing taste dissatisfaction often have underlying oral health issues. Dentists should examine oral status alongside taste sensation when patients report diminished taste ability.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Oral Health
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Taste perception changes with age, impacting nutrition and quality of life in older adults.
- Subjective dissatisfaction with taste is common in the elderly, but its oral health correlates require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate taste sensation in independently living elderly individuals.
- To identify factors, including oral status, associated with subjective taste dissatisfaction.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of elderly individuals (mean age 66.0 years) completed questionnaires on health, dry mouth, chewing, and taste satisfaction.
- Objective measures included salivary flow rate, dental status, and gustatory testing (sweet, salty, sour, bitter) using the filter-paper disc method.
Main Results:
- Older age, dry mouth during eating, dissatisfaction with chewing, and wearing dentures covering the hard palate were linked to taste dissatisfaction.
- While individual taste sensations were not directly related to satisfaction, the sour taste discriminatory threshold was a significant factor.
Conclusions:
- Subjective taste dissatisfaction in the elderly is significantly associated with specific oral health factors.
- Dentists should comprehensively assess oral status and taste function when elderly patients report diminished taste perception.
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