A survey of complete denture prosthetics for the elderly, the handicapped and difficult patients

A survey was carried out to establish information on the facilities and management of the elderly and the handicapped and to evaluate the treatment of the difficult edentulous patient in general dental practice. A postal questionnaire was sent to a total of 1090 dentists in three regions of England and Wales. There was a 50.4% response. Ninety-nine per cent of practitioners were able to treat the ambulant elderly, whereas only 72% offered treatment if the patient was wheelchair dependent. Ninety-six per cent of all respondents undertook domiciliary visits. All practitioners provided prosthetic treatment (complete and partial dentures) for the elderly, whereas fewer felt able to treat the physically and the mentally handicapped. There was less conservative and periodontal treatment provided than prosthetic treatment. A similar pattern was obtained in all three regions. Forty-seven per cent preferred to treat difficult complete denture patients privately, 44% under the NHS and 6% not at all. There were regional variations in the referral patterns of these difficult denture cases. The majority of respondents considered that there should be more opportunities for postgraduate education in prosthetic dentistry.