Geriatric Psychology and Prosthodontic Patient

Abstract

The problem of adjusting to old age in our modern society is becoming extremely difficult owing to the high values placed on youth, beauty and virility. For the aged themselves, these are frustrating years. They realize that they are beyond their productive peak and many of their ideas, goals, ambitions, hopes can never be attained. It is unfortunate that the geriatric patient generally needs most of the necessary dental and medical services at an age when he is least able to tolerate and afford them. The dental problems of geriatric patients present in the prosthodontic clinic differ because of the psychological factors always associated with them. The clinician should understand the psychological part of a dental problem of a geriatric patient because it always influences the decision making and treatment plan. An attempt has been made in this article to review these psychological factors and critically analyze their influence in dental treatment plan.