Pressure-Specifying Sensory Device: quantitative sensory measurement in the oral cavity and oropharynx of normal adults.

We conducted a study to quantitatively determine the pressure perception thresholds in the oral cavity and oropharynx of a normal population with the Pressure-Specifying Sensory Device (PSSD). The PSSD measured pressure perception thresholds for both static and moving one- and two-point discrimination modalities at a variety of sites in the oral cavity and oropharynx as well as in the forearm of 11 adults. We also evaluated the ability of the PSSD to enhance sensory discrimination in four of these subjects by the process of sensory re-education for 11 days over a 15-day period. We found that the buccal mucosa and the tongue tip were the most sensitive sites in the oral cavity and oropharynx and that the floor of the mouth and the soft palate were the least sensitive. Sensory discrimination in the oral cavity was enhanced in all four subjects who underwent sensory re-education, although it returned to baseline levels over time after re-education was discontinued. The degree of intra- and intertester variability was minimal. Our data can be used as an aid in the development of techniques to surgically restore sensation in the oral cavity and oropharynx.