Dentistry ageing population crisis

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Better oral care has led to an increasing number of people who need dentistry care for their own teeth. The British Dental Association's (BDA) scientific adviser Professor Damien Walmsley states demands for replacement fillings, care for tooth erosion, crowns and root canal treatment that have only be designed to last 20 years could exhaust resources.

BDA research has found that fewer than a third of the over-65s currently have their own teeth, but within 20 years that is likely to increase to about 50% of them.

"Decay will cause problems as older people tend to get a different kind of decay, often around the gums, which needs to be treated differently," Professor Walmsley said. "There may also be teeth erosion. We can use compounds to build up teeth as well, as fluoride varnishes to strengthen and protect them."

He said there would need to be more research into how best to tackle these problems and acknowledged the Department of Health is already looking into this.

Health Minister Ann Keen said: "The NHS will need to commission services to meet the needs of all people including those who, because of age, infirmity or complex needs, may have difficulty in accessing traditional dental services."

The BDA's warning comes amid ongoing problems of NHS dentist access nationally since the introduction of the new dental contract in 2006.

The aim of the contract was to increase patient access to a dentist and to simplify charges. However, higher costs for treatment has led to a decline in treatment overall, and a survey by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in 2007 found 78% of dental patients had left the NHS because either their dentist had stopped treating NHS patients, or because they could not find an NHS dentist in their community.