It used to be accepted that old age was accompanied by losing most, if not all, your teeth and having them replaced with dentures. Today, however, statistics show that dentists are increasingly seeing people well beyond retirement age who have kept many or most of their teeth — but frequently with the help of restorative dental work like fillings and crowns that need much greater care and maintenance than dentures. Even in the oldest age groups (85 years and over) nearly half of the British population are now expected to have at least a few natural teeth. Experts warn that this fundamental change in oral health will generate an unprecedented demand from older people for dentistry. However, some of this increase in demand on the Health Service will be offset by a reduction in demand by younger people due to a history of less decay and fewer fillings.

A review, published by the British Society of Gerodontology and funded by the Department of Health for England, suggests ways of meeting this new demand. One of its key recommendations is that older people should be entitled to an extended consultation with a dentist to plan out their long term dental care needs. This would go beyond the standard check-up to include a full assessment of a patient's dental health and, in particular, to make sure that dental disease is prevented and unnecessary treatment avoided. The dentist would then use the session to formulate a comprehensive oral health plan tailored to that individual. Other recommendations are to train more dentists in gerodontology and to equip other professionals who are working with this age group on a regular basis with oral healthcare skills.