[Change of clinical stomatological parameters in ageing (author's transl)]. / Anderung klinischer stomatologischer Parameter im Alternsgang--Bedeutung für Diagnostik und Therapie.

Morphological-functional changes occur in the oral cavity also in depended from the age. The morphological changes of the enamel, dentin, dental pulp, periodont, oral mucosa, salivary glands, tongue, maxillary bone and temporo-mandibular-joint change not only the functional cooperation of all parts in the orofacial system. They show effects for the whole body also. A complete gerostomatological standard does not exist for the whole gnathological system. But single indices for some partial components are known. For the judgement of the caries involvement it is possible to use the DMF-index, for which a special gerostomatological type exist. The periodontal diseases are classified adequately to the ARPA-nomenclature. For the judgement of odontolithiasis and oral hygienic conditions you can use the so called odontolith-Index (CI), the OH (oral hygienic debris) and the so called calculus-index (OHI-S). It is refered to different possibilities for classification of dentition with gaps.

Observation of the articular disc.

This article reports on a 5-year study of 198 articular discs of the human temporomandibular joint. The investigation revealed a striking incidence of disc degeneration, notably bilaterally presented. The classification used to qualify the condition of the discs consisted of maximal and minimal degeneration and normalcy. We sought to establish the "norm" for the disc in each successive decade. The fourth decade revealed no degeneration. Disc alteration follows soon after, as shown by the rather high total curve in the fifth decade. Changes are most marked in the fifth, sixth, and seventh decades. There is inconclusive evidence as to the influence of the dentition on disc alteration. However, the view that a complete and/or partial dentition is least likely to contribute to disc problems seems plausible. In general, no one causal agent could be incriminated with certainty.