A randomly selected population of 442 persons in Edinburgh was interviewed and examined. Although 71 % of the sample required treatment, only 52 % were physically and mentally able to benefit from treatment. Thirty percent of the sample were able to use public transport to attend a dentist, 66 % would require cars and ambulance transport and 4 % were bedridden and would require domiciliary dental services. Twenty-one percent of the sample had thought about seeking dental treatment, while only 25 % had heard how to claim exemption from or help towards dental charges. Edentulousness was present in 91 % of the sample, only 41 persons having remaining natural teeth. Seventy-three percent were wearing dentures which required adjustment or replacement, but only 39 % thought their dentures were unsatisfactory. In 58 % of the patients the oral tissues were so deformed or resorbed that the prosthodontic treatment needed would be complex and require special skills. Half of the sample had some form of denture-induced pathology which required either conservative or surgical treatment.