Special Care Dentistry is that specialty of dentistry concerned with the oral health care of patients with special needs for whatever reason including those who are physically or mentally challenged. People are considered to have special health care needs if they have physical, developmental, mental, sensory, behavioural, cognitive or emotional impairment or a condition that requires medical management, health care intervention or use of specialized services or programs. People with special needs are most under served in our society. They have poorer oral hygiene, more dental diseases, more...

The geriatric population is the most rapidly growing segment of the general population, a fact that will have dramatic implications for systemic and oral health in the future. As more people live longer and become elderly, there will be an increase in chronic conditions and illnesses that will influence both oral and systemic health. The elderly are particularly prone to root caries, attrition, periodontal disease, missing teeth because of earlier neglect, edentulism, poor quality of alveolar ridges, ill-fitting dentures, mucosal lesions, oral ulceration, dry mouth (xerostomia) and oral...