• Ida Marini, Francesco Bortolotti, Maria Lavinia Bartolucci, Emine Meral Inelmen, Maria Rosaria Gatto, and Giulio Alessandri Bonetti.
• Department of Orthodontics, University of Bologna, Italy.
• Aging Clin Exp Res. 2012 Jun 1;24(3):239-44.

Background And AimsAging implies a physiological decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength, pain perception, transmission and processing, causing pain thresholds to increase (presbyalgesia). This study compares the pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) of 18 head and neck muscles in groups of young and elderly subjects.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 subjects, selected from a group of 97, referred for dental consultation. The inclusion criterion was subjects' age (from 20 to 30, and over 65 years). Exclusion criteria were all conditions which may alter PPTs. In two groups, A (young subjects; 10 men, 10 women) and B (elderly subjects; 11 men, 9 women) PPTs were evaluated by one calibrated examiner with a Fischer algometer. Data are described with mean values ± standard error and the 95% confidence interval. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare PPT values between the two groups (α=0.05).ResultsThere was a significant difference between the PPTs of group A and B, which were higher in the elderly group in all muscles except five.ConclusionsThese preliminary data demonstrate that PPTs increase with aging in the muscles examined. Other confirmatory studies with a larger sample size are necessary.

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