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Clinical Lecturer/Specialist in Endodontics, Department of Restorative Dentistry, King's College London Dental Institute at Guy's, King's College and St. Thomas' Hospitals, Guy's Tower, Guy's Hospital, London SEI 9RT, UK
The number of elderly people in the population is rising and there is an increasing trend for tooth preservation. Older patients are more likely to have complex medical histories and/or physical disabilities. They are increasingly likely to retain their teeth, which could be heavily restored or broken down and root treatment may be challenging. In order to maintain teeth, a decision needs to be made as to whether or not to carry out endodontic treatment, which may be challenging in itself, and may also be associated with other age-related considerations. This paper considers endodontic issues related to the older patient, bearing in mind the plethora of considerations which may be relevant to root canal treatment.
Clinical Relevance: There are many benefits of retaining teeth, but there may be disadvantages.
Article
This paper is the final one of a series of papers related to oral care for the older patient. Although this article stands on its own, readers are advised to refer also to the papers ‘Gerodontology: now and the future’1 and ‘Age-related oral changes’.2
The population in the UK continues to age, with the average life-span today being approximately 81 years for females and 76 years for males. Over the last 25 years, the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over increased from 15% in 1983 to 16% in 2005 (an increase of 1.5 million). Over the same period, the proportion of the population aged 16 years and below declined from 21% to 19%. This trend is set to continue and, by 2033, it is anticipated that 23% of the population will be 65 years and over, compared with 18% being 16 years or younger.3
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