Dental Management of the Older Patient

Adult health surveys worldwide highlight that the demographics of the adult population are changing dramatically. Older people are predicted to have increasingly longer life expectancies. By 2033 it is anticipated that 23% of the population will be aged 65 or over. There is an increasing trend for tooth preservation and older age groups are retaining their teeth longer which has brought new challenges to dentistry. The rate of edentulism in England and Wales has decreased from 37% in 1967 to 6% in 2009. Therefore, the older population are more likely to have a heavily restored dentition and age related medical conditions. In addition, oral mucosal conditions are more prevalent in older patients.