The whole mouth test method was employed for examining changes in gustatory senses due to aging. Participants were 314 male and 356 female healthy volunteers not complaining of taste disorders. Simultaneously, the effects of smoking were examined, comparing 71 male smokers to 142 male non-smokers, ranging from 20 to more than 60 years of age.
A multiple comparison procedure (Tukey-Kramer) was applied to age groups, revealing a significant increase in the threshold with age; high threshold values were observed in the “70s and older” group in comparison to the younger group for all tastes other than the sweet taste. Concerning the differences between males and females, the gustatory thresholds of males were found to be higher than those of females for some in the “20s and older” group and for all tastes other than the sweet taste, whereas the thresholds of males were lower than those of females for all taste qualities in the late teen group.
As to male subjects in whom the effects of smoking could be studied, smokers in their 20s demonstrated a slight rise in the threshold only for the bitter taste.