Characterization of taste receptor functioning in dry mouth syndrome in elderly people

Age-related changes and multimorbidity affect the organs and tissues of the oral cavity. Dry mouth syndrome is painful for the elderly patient and difficult to treat, which is most often associated with endocrinopathies, chronic reactive-dystrophic diseases of salivary glands, consequences of combined treatment of head and oral cavity tumors.

Objective - to characterize the functioning of taste buds in the "dry mouth" syndrome.

Materials and methods. We used methods of determining the thresholds of taste sensitivity of the tongue to sweet, salty, sour and bitter stimuli, as well as assessing the functional mobility of taste receptors of the tongue in 66 (19 men and 47 women) elderly patients (61-73 years old). Group 1 included 20 patients who had partial or complete tooth loss and did not have hyposialia or any dentures or diseases in which xerostomia may occur. Group 2 also included 20 elderly patients who did not suffer from hyposialia but had various designs of fixed and/or removable dentures in their mouths. Group 3 consisted of 26 elderly people who suffered from dry mouth syndrome.

Results. It was found that the elderly people suffering from the syndrome of "dry mouth" showed an increase in the indicators of the thresholds of taste sensitivity of the tongue for all types of stimuli, which were higher than the reference and age values, that together with the existing in them violation of the indicators of functional mobility of taste receptors of the tongue, which is characterized by a weak mobilization of taste receptors of the tongue on an empty stomach, and after eating - almost complete absence of demobilization of the studied receptors of the tongue.

Conclusion. The data obtained in the study may indicate that patients with "dry mouth" syndrome have problems with regulating the number of meals and the quality of the food consumed, which may cause certain difficulties in regulating the dietary therapy necessary for them.

1. Komarov F.I., Shevchenko Y.L., Iordanishvili A.K. Somatic and stomatologic health of long-livers. Ecology and development of society. 2016;1(16):51-54 (in Russ.)

2. Canaan T.J., Meehan S.C. Variations of structure and appearance of the oral mucosa. Dent Clin North Am. 2005;49(1):1-14, vii. DOI: 10.1016/j.cden.2004.07.002.

3. Hayflick L. New approaches to old age. Nature. 2000;403(6768):365. DOI: 10.1038/35000303.

4. Iordanishvili A.K., Soldatov S.V., Soldatova L.N., Zaborovsky K.A., Ryzhak G.A. The stomatologic status of people of elderly and senile age. Advances in gerontology. 2010; 23(4):644-665 (in Russ.). EDN: NCHMZP.

5. Kopyl O.A., Gaikova O.A., Grinenko O.A. Age changes and diseases of the oral mucosa. Saint-Petersburg: Publishing house of Polytechnic University, 2011. 160 с. (in Russ.)

6. Lobeiko V.V., Iordanishvili A.K. Ray sialoadenopaty in older people and their treatment. Bulletin of the Russian Military Medical Academy. 2014;1(45):75-79 (in Russ.). EDN: RYCBTL.

7. Lobeiko V.V., Ryzhak G.A., Diakonov M.M., Iordanishvili A.K. Treatment of reactive and distrofisesky diseases of sialadens at people of advanced and senile age. Kuban Scientific Medical Bulletin. 2015;1(150): 69-74 (in Russ.). EDN: TZBZTZ.

8. Gaivoronsky I.V., Lobeiko V.V., Iordanishvili A.K., Gaivoronskaya V.V. The parotid gland: morphofunctional characterization in norm and under the influence of extreme factors. Saint-Petersburg: Nordmedizdat, 2011. 128 с. (in Russ.)

9. Bedelov N.N., Kerimhanov K. A., Iordanishvili A.K., Malyshev M.E., Vasiliev M.A. Effect of peptide bioregulation on the state of secretory immunity in the saliva of elderly patients with chronic generalized periodontitis. Advances in gerontology. 2021;11(2):218-222. DOI: 10.1134/S2079057021020041. EDN: YVATBH.

10. Bouchardy C., Hirvonen A., Coutelle C., Ward P.J., Dayer P., Benhamou S. Role of alcohol dehydrogenase 3 and cytochrome P-4502E1 genotypes in susceptibility to cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract.Int J Cancer. 2000;87(5):734-740.

11. Maksyuta D.A., Lobeiko V.V. Chronic parotitis and their treatment. Saint-Petersburg: Nordmedizdat, 2012. 112 (in Russ.)

12. Macleod I., Crighton A. Practical oral medicine. London-Chicago: Quintessence Publishing, 2006. 164 p.

13. Iordanishvili A.K., Kerimkhanov K.A. Removable dental prostheses: ways to improve utilization. Saint-Petersburg: Human, 2022. 44 с. (in Russ.)

14. Muzykin M.I., Grebnev G.A., Iordanishvili A.K. Dental rehabilitation of total adentia at pensioners of the ministry of defense and contingent attached to military medical organizations. Bulletin of the Russian Military Medical Academy. 2020;2(70):94-105 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.17816/brmma50053. EDN: XGATEA.

15. Samsonov V.V., Iordanishvili A.K., Soldatova L.N., Lobeiko V.V., Ryzhak G.A. Gerontostomatology’s topical issues in russia at the present stage. Advances in gerontology. 2013;26(3):540-543. (in Russ.). EDN: PJNHKV.

16. Iordanishvili A.K., Filippova E.V., Libikh D.A., Ryzhak G.A. Clinical and functional state of oral mucosa and tongue in people of older age groups. Institute of Stomatology. 2012;4(57):80-81 (in Russ.). EDN: SQJQQT.

17. Iordanishvili A.K. Features of functioning of taste receptors of oral cavity in elderly people in norm and pathology. University Therapeutic journal. 2023; 5(1):97-101. (in Russ.). DOI: 10.56871/UTJ.2023.97.14.006. EDN: UXLUFH.

18. MacEntee M.I., Nolan A., Thomason J.M. Oral mucosal and osseous disorders in frail elders. Gerodontology. 2004;21(2):78-84. DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2004.00008.x.

19. Iordanishvili A.K. Gerontostomatology: textbook. Saint-Petersburg: Chelovek, 2022. 376 p. (in Russ.)

20. Iordanishvili A.K. Geriatric stomatology: handbook. Saint-Petersburg: Chelovek, 2019. 348 с. (in Russ.)

21. Kurlyandsky V.Y., Khvatova V.A., Volozhin A.I., Lavochnik M.I. Research methods in orthopedic stomatology. Tashkent: Meditsina, 1973. 231 с. (in Russ.)

22. Gandolfo S., Scully C., Carrozzo M. Oral medicine. Edinburgh-New York: Churchill Livingstone, 2006. 195 p.