An elderly patient with poor oral hygiene and multiple carious lesions presents with his adult daughter. The daughter requests a new partial denture only, without any other treatment. What should the dentist do first?

Dentists have a professional and ethical obligation to act in the patient's best interest (beneficence) and to respect patient autonomy. Fabricating a partial denture on a mouth with active caries, poor oral hygiene, and periodontal disease without addressing these issues first would be clinically inappropriate and could lead to continued deterioration of remaining teeth and premature failure of the prosthesis. The dentist should communicate directly with the patient (not just the daughter, respecting patient autonomy and avoiding ageism), explain the necessary treatment sequence, and obtain informed consent. If the patient has decision-making capacity, his preferences must be respected.