Journal of Aging Science

Abstract

Simplifying the Assessment of Stereognostic Ability of the Tongue in Elderly Subjects Using Six Selected Test Pieces

Shigenori Kawagishi, Toshiko Tanaka, Megumi Shimodozono and Kenichi Yoshino

This study aimed to develop a simple method to assess the stereognostic ability of the tongue in elderly. The stereognostic ability was assessed by placing 6 differently-shaped test pieces in the oral cavity and assessing the subjects’ ability to identify the shape using their tongues. These test pieces were selected from 20 test pieces that were previously used for detailed analysis of stereognostic ability of the tongue. Stereognostic ability of the tongue in elderly subjects was compared with young adults. In total, 188 out of 198 young adults (94.9% of subjects), 26 out of 60 elderly (43.3%) not receiving care, and 1 out of 18 elderly (5.5%) receiving care could identify all 6 test pieces correctly. The most misidentified piece was a rectangular test piece and it was recognized as the test piece of the same size without corners, and vice versa.

When 35 elderly who were not receiving care were assessed using either 6 or 20 test pieces, the number of correct responses for the 6 test pieces showed a significant positive correlation with those for 20 test pieces (p<0.001).

These results indicate that the method using just 6 test pieces is a simple yet effective approach to assess stereognostic ability of the tongue and that it could be used in future assessments with larger and more diverse patient populations.