General medicine and surgery for dental practitioners. Part 1 - the older patient.

This paper is the start of a series on general medicine and surgery for dental practitioners. It follows on from a previous series, published in the British Dental Journal in 2003. The proportion of older people in the UK population has been on the increase for several years. Dental practitioners who treat the general public often see older patients on a regular basis. This paper considers aspects of clinical management in the older patient with particular reference to the presentation of disease and factors to be considered in prescribing medication.