The Impact of Aging on Oral Structures in Geriatric Patients through Prosthodontic Perspective

Abstract As it is anticipated that there is going to be surge in population of old age individuals in upcoming years and by 2050 it is going to be around 1.5 billion, which is a concern for scientists and for whole field of medicine, owing to which there is an urge to develop expertise in geriatric medicine in coming years. As oral health and general well-being of an individual are correlated there are few changes which come in oral cavity because of the diseases which occur as one ages such as diabetes while there are other changes which are bound to occurs with age in geriatric patients which are resorption of alveolar bone, non-carious cervical lesions, vascular changes in pulp, edentulous mouth and can further cause other problems in body such as malnutrition. Apart from thisg, salivary glands situated in oral cavity also show changes with age and salivary flow decreases which further poses difficulty in chewing and swallowing. Also, these conditions also affect the fabrication of dental prosthesis. Therefore, to properly cure these diseases and fabricate appropriate dental prosthesis such as complete denture, removable partial denture, it is necessary to be familiar with the alterations and modifications which occurs in oral cavity of geriatric patients.