Geriatric Challenges for Prosthodontics

Geriatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry that emphasizes dental care for the elderly population and focuses upon patients with chronic physiological, physical and/or psychological changes or morbid conditions/ diseases.It is a specialized multidisciplinary branch of general dentistry designed to provide dental services to elderly patients. A geriatric patient requires health and social support services to attain an optimal level of physical, psychologic and social functioning.The main problem that the dentist faces when treating the elderly patient is that the complexity of treatment gets compounded with ageing. . Unfortunately, geriatric dental care in India is still in its infancy. Dental treatment is considered the last priority owing to lack of awareness and poor socio-economic status. Moreover, there is a non-availability of proper dental services in many rural areas. Therefore the need far exceeds than the demand.