Oral Cavity

Taste sensation decreases with aging. Elderly people demonstrate an impaired ability to identify food by taste. A number of drugs and diseases can also affect taste, and reversible causes of taste impairment must always be considered.

Although dentition may be well preserved in the absence of caries and periodontal disease, poor dentition is common and a major contributor to impaired chewing and reduced caloric intake. Tooth loss in the elderly has declined dramatically, although in some populations > 60% of the elderly are edentulous.

A modest decrease in saliva production occurs with aging and may contribute to the severity of acid reflux in the elderly.

This topic was last updated May 2005.