Age-related changes in tongue pressure during swallowing

Although swallowing movement is known to change with aging,age-related differences in the tongue pressure for propelling a bolus from the oral cavity into the pharynx have yet to be investigated in a physiological condition. we hypothesized that tongue pressure during swallowing changed with aging and,using a 0.1-mm-thick sensor sheet with 5 measuring points,measured it while a 15-ml quantity of water was swallowed by young and elderly dentate individuals. both groups showed a similar order of tongue pressure production at each point. however,the elderly group showed longer duration at each point,lower maximal magnitude in the anterio-median part of the hard palate,and higher magnitude in the circumferential parts of the hard palate than the young group. these results provide the first quantitative evidence of the age-related changes in tongue movement during natural swallowing,which could be attributed to muscle weakening and morphological changes in the oropharynx. © 2010 international & american associations for dental research.