Sir, how long should a bridge last? As a student I was told ten to 15 years, but I have heard that the average NHS bridge in the 1960s lasted less than five. What is the oldest bridge in the UK now? The photo (Fig. 1) illustrates a five unit upper and three unit lower that were placed in 1965 following a machine shop accident. They have been well cared for and the supporting teeth all have good percussion resonances. Sadly I can't remember the name of the laboratory to which most of the credit should go.

Figure 1
figure 1

Five unit upper and three unit lower placed in 1965

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