Geriatric Nutrition in Denture Wearers: Revisited

Abstract

The prevalence of malnutrition increases with age because of many factors. Presence of edentulous jaws leads to avoidance of many types of food. Shifts in food selection patterns result from impairments in masticatory ability. In most of the instances, prosthodontic treatment alone, such as complete dentures, implant overdentures, or other prosthetic treatment for elderly patients in the absence of proper dietary instructions, is inadequate to attain a significant progress in nutritional levels. Thus, to achieve a successful therapy, most researchers imply on giving a dietary instruction as a part of treatment procedure. An attempt has been made to review the dietary requirements for geriatric denture wearers which would benefit them from untoward consequences of malnutrition.