Dysgeusia in the aged

Research Project

Project/Area Number	12671873
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	補綴理工系歯学
Research Institution	TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator	TAMAZAWA Yoshinori TOHOKU UNIVERSITY, DENTISTRY, LECTURER, 歯学部附属病院, 講師 (10124603)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	WATANABE Makoto TOHOKU UNIVESITY, DENTISTRY, PROFESSOR, 大学院・歯学研究科, 教授 (80091768) NISHIURA Hiroto TOHOKU UNIVESITY, DENTISTRY, DENTAL STAFF, 歯学部附属病院, 医員 SATOH Chiaki THOKU UNIVERSITY, DENTISTRY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, 大学院・歯学研究科, 助手 (50312591)
Project Period (FY)	2000 – 2002
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2002)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000) Fiscal Year 2001: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000) Fiscal Year 2000: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Keywords	dysgeusia / elderly / sweet taste / salty taste / sour taste / bitter taste / 旨味
Research Abstract	With the aging of society, guestatory sensation is an important element for life with high quality. We often encounter aged patients who complain of abnormal gustatory sensation. However, since there are many factors affecting gustatory sensation in the aged, whether its abnormality is due to physiological aging or systemic disorders, drug administration, or the oral state is often difficult to determine. Therefore, a questionnaire was carried out in fiscal 2000 to evaluate gustatory tastes, the general condition, drugs regularly used, and the oral state in the aged, and gustatory function tests were performed in fiscal 2001 in subjects. This year, gustatory function tests were performed in an increased number of subjects, and the results were compared with those of a questionnaire performed in the same subjects. Gustatory function tests were performed with consent in 31 subjects aged 63-83 years (aged group) and 17 subjects aged 24-30 years (young group). Reflective secretion of saliva … More for 5 minutes following masticatory stimulation was mesured. In addition, gustatory threshold were measured by the entire oral method using aqueous solutions of cane sugar (sweet taste), sodium chroride (salty taste), tartaric acid (sour taste), and quinine hydrochroride (bitter taste), and electric gustatory threshold tests were performed using an electric gustrometer TR-06 (Lion Co., Ltd.). The questionnaire survey showed a close association between the awareness of gustatory abnormalities and the feeling of oral mucosal abnormalities, thirst, dissatisfaction with dentures, and difficulty in chewing. Gustatory function tests revealed no increase in the gustatory threshold in the subjects who are aware of gustatory threshold or those who complain of abnormalities in the oral cavity or dentures. In contrast, the thresholds of acid taste and bitter taste were high in subjects with systemic disorder or those receiving drugs though these factors were not associated with the awareness of gustatory abnormalities. Therefore, in aged patients who complain of abnormal gustatory sensation, not only an increase in the gustatory threshold but also the influences of oral disharmony on the awareness of gustatory abnormalities should be taken into consideration. Less