Aging and Periodontium The aging process takes a toll on everybody's body eventually, whether it's from loss of memory or thinning of the hair, or reduced mobility and hearing. However, one particular occurrence as time progress onward is one's dental records, in particular, the periodontium. The periodontium affects an individual's dental and overall well being by undergoing physical, functional, nutritional, and medical modifications.

Such changes take place either in the regions of the periodontium or the byproduct of such altercations due to aging.

Physically, the periodontium is made up of various parts, which include the alveolar bone, cementum, gingiva, and the periodontal ligament. As time progresses, negative changes are seen in the aforementioned parts, which affect the individual him or herself. The features of aging found in tissues are desiccation, diminished reparative ability, reduced elasticity, and altered cell permeability. The alveolar bone may undergo osteoporosis, decreased vascularity, reduction in metabolic rate and healing capacity, and density change. Diminished heratinization, reduced stippling, and increased width of attached gingiva indicate aging in the gingiva. In addition, there is decreased connective cellular tissue, reduced oxygen consumption, and the epithelium is thinned. In the cementum, aging will cause greater irregularity, continuous deposition with age, and the width becomes thicker.

In a study led by Gilmore, the aged animals revealed changes in the tooth socket, and buccal and lingual plate with the presence of incremental lines, which were not present in the young. As well, dark-stained appositional lines appeared only in aged animals where the bones formed the manibular canal. In the physicality of the cementum, the thickness increased with age, and the epithelium undergoes progressive atrophy. In an investigation led by Toto (2007), he noted the average number of cells on the mesial surface of the eponymous root was reduced from "1003.9 for the young group, and 689.8 for the older group." As for the periodontium, the average labeled cells per section for the young was 3.95 and a reduction for the older group, which was 1.35.

The amount of connective...

As well, collagen fibers became increasingly more insoluble with age, which increases density of the connective tissues, and results in reduced movement of the periodontium. In a study led by Sims, it was shown that the width of the periodontal ligament decreased with age, from 119.9 to 60.0. Furthermore, there were recorded declinations that indicate the progression of age in the periodontium, which was noted by Sims (2007), "the average cross-sectional tissue area...decreased from 2117 micrometer squared to 1451...average ligament thickness...dropped from 52.5 micrometer to 27.5."
Functionally, aging has an effect on the periodontium by impacting on the masticatory functions an individual may exhibit. As people become older, there's a reduced ability to chew and bite food, which is due to muscle loss. The efficiency of mastication becomes less productive because as one ages, he or she experiences teeth loss or denture replacements, which impairs and prohibits eating in an adept manner. In a study led by Dutour, it was shown that in the aged group, they had to chew and use more energy when crushing down on food. Dutour (2007) noted, "the increased muscular work may also be due to decreased oral sensitivity, causing older subjects to take greater care to be sure of swallowing a safe bolus." Furthermore, as people age, the production of saliva is reduced so it takes longer to reach a desired flow, which Dutour (2007) wrote, "a deficit in mucin content could...lengthen the time needed to constitute a cohesive food bolus." As for denture wearers, the investigation showed they had a hard time chewing to the consistency of the non-denture wearers, especially with foods like carrots. So, they were using more energy but producing large food particles. However, when meat came into play, the group had a definite hard time so they refused to continue chewing the food.

Nutritionally, Dutour noted that because the denture wearers had such a hard time masticating certain foods, it would impact their overall health. It is because when people can't chew or eat…