Dental care of the elderly generally does not form a major area of study in the undergraduate curriculum, and seldom forms the main attraction at dental conferences. All too often treatment of the elderly is considered to be a backwater of prosthetic dentistry and little attention is paid to the restorative needs of this rapidly growing section of society. The aim of this paper is to identify the dental needs of an ageing population, and to focus the attention of the profession on these needs as well as to explode certain myths and prejudices associated with the treatment of patients in senescence.
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