Orofacial somatosensory perception evaluation and cognitive decline in the elderly

Abstract

With the increase in life expectancy, studies investigating the physiological changes in the elderly and favoring the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are important. The study of orofacial somatosensory perception is relevant because it relates to protective and adaptive functions. The objective of this research is to evaluate the orofacial somatosensory perception and its relation to cognitive ability in older adults. This research is an observational, cross-sectional study which will assess the socio-economic profile and use of medications, nutritional status, salivary flow, taste perception, tactile orofacial sensitivity and cognitive ability in 100 elderly (50 men and 50 women) living in the city Santo André (SP) and referred to the Medical School, ABC Foundation (Health Unit "Capuava"). Descriptive statistics will be applied to obtain mean, standard deviation, median and interquartile range. The Komolgorov-Smirnov test will check the normality of the data collected. Correlation tests (Pearson / Spearman) will be used to test the correlation between the variables under study; using the chi-square test we will be verify the association between polypharmacy and changes in orofacial sensory perception. A multiple linear regression model will be used to verify the influence of cognitive ability on the variance in the orofacial sensory perception of the elderly.