DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2019.v06i12.004

Pages: 512-518

Prosthodontic treatment is not limited to fulfillment of functional needs related to chewing and masticating. It also offers esthetic enrichment which eventually affects the social and psychological needs. At the same time it has financial implications too. In present study, an attempt was made to study the priorities of prosthodontic treatment needs among 36 patients from elderly age group belonging to a low socioeconomic class from Lucknow (U.P.). The treatment needs were assessed on functional, social, financial and psychological dimensions. It was observed that the functional needs and psychological needs were more pronounced than the social and financial needs. Assessment of priorities of treatment revealed that functional needs had a high priority. Assessment of treatment gaps through graphical modeling revealed that during a short follow up (at 15 days), the functional needs showed a low performance. The order of concern for social, psychological and financial needs was ranged between average to low with a low to average performance. It was felt that the change in quality of life of patients with prosthodontic rehabilitation are not spontaneous, rather they require a substantial period to bring about a measurable change.