Age related impairments in ingestion from a large population based-sample.

OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological data regarding the evolution of problems related to mastication and swallowing with age are lacking. This study aims to (i) describe changes in oral function with age, using data from a large French population, (ii) validate online, self-report uses of an ICF questionnaire in older persons, and (iii) assess whether impairment is related to avoidance of certain foods, xerostomia, body mass index (BMI) and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL). METHODS: Volunteers aged ≥18 years with internet access completed a series of questionnaires on sociodemographic, anthropometric and oral health characteristics (oral function, Xerostomia Index (XI), OHRQoL, reasons for avoidance of certain food). Oral function was assessed using items derived from the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). Five ICF items related to ingestion function and six items related to activities and participation were used. A validation study was undertaken to identify those with poor chewing ability and low salivary flow amongst older participants reporting impairment. FINDINGS: 39 597 individuals were included. The prevalence of individuals with impairment for ICF items related to ingestion function and oral activity (eating, drinking and speaking), and the percentage of participants with poor OHRQoL increased significantly with age (p < 0.001). Each ICF item was significantly associated with OHRQoL (p < 0.001), XI (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001) and avoidance of certain food due to chewing or swallowing difficulties. CONCLUSION: Overall, 21.5% and 13.5% of the study population had chewing and/or biting impairments respectively, which might affect food selection and consumption. These findings raise individual and population-based issues. Further studies are needed to assess whether impairment in oral function might increase frailty in older individuals, and also to compare data with those from other countries.

Astringency sensitivity to tannic acid: Effect of ageing and salivary proline-rich protein levels.

The link between salivary composition and sensitivity to astringency as a function of age has still not been established. In this work, we propose the hypothesis that ageing leads to changes in the concentration of salivary proline-rich proteins (PRPs), which alters the astringency perception threshold with age. To test this hypothesis, astringency sensitivity to tannic acid and saliva was assessed in 30 elderly people and 24 young people. Basic PRPs (bPRPs) and glycosylated PRPs (gPRPs) were quantified immunochemically via western blot analysis. The results showed that the amounts of bPRPs and gPRPs were similar between the young and elderly groups. However, a positive correlation between the gPRP amount and astringency threshold was observed only in the young group, while a negative correlation between the bPRP amount and astringency threshold was observed only in the elderly group. This finding suggests differences in the contribution of PRP type to astringency perception as a function of age.