Oral signs of aging and their clinical significance.

A look in the patient's mouth can give clues to his overall health. For instance, atrophic glossitis--or breakdown of the tongue's papillary structure--reveals that there may be incomplete absorption of vitamin B complex or some other nutritional deficiency. Tenderness and impaired motion in the jaw can mean any of a number of problems related to other joints of the body. Osteoarthritis is often to blame. Or the disablement may be due to rheumatoid arthritis or to sclerosis of joint surfaces. Atrophy of the alveolar bone, which progresses slowly during normal aging, is speeded up in persons with osteoporosis. Even after all teeth are gone, bone loss continues. It's likely to be excessive and uneven, and the resultant sharp ridges and spicules sometimes cause so much pain and irritation that the patient can't tolerate dentures.