[Disorders of the oral mucosa in the elderly]

The oral mucosa of the elderly may be affected by a variety of diseases. The majority of such diseases are rather harmless and may occur in younger patients as well. Furthermore, a number of oral lesions may be the result of neglect of the dentition or the dentures. Particularly in the elderly, however, one should take into account the possibility of a malignant or premalignant lesion. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to any ulcerative lesion of the oral mucosa and to white or red changes that are not easily recognizable as a benign disease entity. Also pigmented lesions of the oral mucosa should be looked upon with suspicion. In elderly patients several oral and perioral complaints may be present of which the etiology is unknown. An example of such complaints is the so-called burning mouth syndrome.