Tooth number, World War II, nuns, and the real fountain of youth.

A new appreciation for the direct relationship of mouth health to systemic health is forcing re-evaluation of previous concepts of oral health strategies. Although a person shows adaptation to loss of some permanent teeth, it appears a threshold of 10 functional pairs or 20 teeth have linkage to a number of disabling diseases of aging. The Shortened Dental Arch concept has limitations for sustainability and leaves little functional cushion.

Expanding prosthodontic services to the older patient in dental practices.

Numerous articles report on the unmet dental needs of the older patient, yet few have suggested strategies to overcome barriers to care for this unique demographic. At a time when prosthodontic services, including dental implants, offer improved outcomes, the elderly remain the least served of all patient groups. Obstacles to treatment include ageism, medical and dental complexity, financial limitations, and patients' resistance to treatment.

Pitfalls in full mouth implant dentistry. Part one: Perceptions versus evidence in prosthodontic treatment planning; a limited literature review.

The alternative to accepting commercial trends in dental implant therapy is to redefine basic-needs treatment of the partially and fully edentulous patient. Unfounded yet persistent assumptions about what patients want and what implant therapies can provide cloud treatment decisions. Studies on the outcomes of different implant treatment modalities are incomplete yet cite that conventional and less complex implant treatments have good outcomes, often showing better patient acceptance than the more involved alternatives.