An assessment of dental requirements of elderly people.

The article presents a study conducted by students from the Polytechnic of North London in England in 1977 that examined dental needs of elderly people. The study involved 192 elderly people in the Islington District of the Camden and Islington Area Health Authority. The oral and dental status of the patients were recorded and the treatment needed was assessed. Results have shown that 80% of the patients were edentulous, while 32% require dentures. It is also found that only few wore partial dentures and that only 19% of all classes of dentures were totally satisfactory.