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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Assessment of Midline Lingual Point-Pressure Somatosensation Using Von Frey Hair Monofilaments
Published on: February 21, 2020
Age differences in orofacial sensory thresholds
1Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Claude D. Pepper Center, University of Florida, Box 100416, HSC, Gainesville, FL 32610-0416, USA. mwheft@ufl.edu
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.
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