Of 219 elderly patients admitted consecutively to a geriatric hospital in Switzerland, 59.4% were edentulous. A high proportion of the dentate patients exhibited tooth loss patterns requiring free-end partial dentures in the maxilla (36.0%) or the mandible (69.7%). Of the remaining teeth, 29.3% were decayed, and 45.1% had severe periodontitis. Virtually all (97.8%) dentate and 31.5% of the edentulous subjects were judged to need some kind of dental treatment. In contrast, the subjective need for dental treatment was low in dentate (30.4%) and edentulous (13.1%) subjects. Prosthesis hygiene was poor in 73.8% of the 191 denture wearers whether they needed assistance with oral hygiene or not. The objectively-assessed need for a new prosthesis in edentulous patients was determined by income, marital status, and patient mobility, whereas the need for a prosthesis alteration was related to cognitive function. These findings should help to plan future dental prophylactic and therapeutic services in geriatric hospitals.