Management of preventative care for an ageing population

With the world's population ageing, the challenges to the dental profession in coming years will be greater in providing oral care to people in the older age groups. Not only will elderly adults have retained more teeth, their expectations will be greater at a time in their lives when their adaptability and general health will be increasingly challenged and diminished. Those charged with oral care will need to be skilled technical, as well as empathetic, practitioners whose role will be not only in oral health but in issues involving the general health and well being of their patients.