Association between maximum tongue pressure in healthy elderly individuals and demographic and dental characteristics

This study analyzed tongue pressure in healthy older adults during maximum voluntary contraction in the anterior and posterior regions and verified whether it was associated with sex, age, and dental status.

This is a cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study with a non-probabilistic sample of 128 active and healthy older adults of both sexes. The evaluation consisted of a medical history survey to collect personal data, cognitive screening, and assessment of dental status and tongue pressure, using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument. The anterior and posterior tongue pressures at maximum contraction were the response variables, and age, sex, number of natural teeth, and conditions related to dentures were the explanatory variables. The significance level was set at 5% for data analysis.

Males had greater anterior tongue pressure. The anterior and posterior tongue pressure measurements were significantly different between participants aged 60 to 69 years and those over 80 years. No significant differences were found regarding dental status and denture fitting.

Anterior and posterior tongue pressure values were higher in men and decreased after the age of 80. The conditions related to the number of teeth and denture use and fitting did not influence the tongue pressure levels.