[Malnutrition in the elderly--a interdisciplinary problem for the dentist].

Success in dental treatment and long-term care of elderly persons requires an interdisciplinary consideration of aging. Medical knowledge, which is far beyond specific dental expertise, is assumed. A typical example is that of malnutrition, which in spite of its high frequency in the elderly, has not yet been considered to be important in dentistry. Missing diagnosis and therapy of malnutrition lead to increasing morbidity and mortality. Clarifying the nutritional conditions of aging persons therefore should also become a part of dental diagnosis to guarantee early medical diagnosis and therapy as well as to avoid oral complications.