T H E R E IS LITTLE INFORMATION on the periodontium of ageing humans. Patients in the fifth, sixth, and seventh decades of life, and older, are viewed with caution by dentists. Their treatment, however, is much the same as that given to younger adults. The main differences are that extensive elective surgery is avoided and fewer complex restorations are placed. This approach is probably based on the thought that the older patient may not be able to endure extensive dental treatment or even that he doesn't have long to live. It is not based on any broad knowledge of the dento-periodontal structures of the aged and their functional and reparative capacities.