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Oral healthcare in the older population: An increasing challenge to the uk dental profession Hannah Barrow Martin Ashley Dental Update 2024 48:2, 707-709.
Authors
HannahBarrow
BDS, MFDS RCSEd
Dental Core Trainee, Pinderfields General Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield
The percentage of the UK population that is over 65 years old is growing and this brings a number of complex challenges for the dental profession. Patients are struggling to attend for appointments and those who do are attending with increasing physical and mental morbidities and greater care needs, with dementia, in particular, bringing significant difficulties and complications during dental management. This article describes the oral manifestations of dementia and provides clinical advice to practitioners in supporting these patients, and discusses communication, diagnosis, treatment planning, consent, the dental practice environment and home care advice.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article highlights the challenges an older population brings to the dental profession, focusing on the complications dementia creates. It describes its oral manifestations, as well as providing clinical advice to help practitioners support these patients in all aspects of their care.
Article
The UK population is undergoing a ‘demographic transition’,1 explained by an increased life expectancy and a fall in the birth rate, leading to an increase in those in older age groups. Increased migration from a large proportion of the earth's countries is bringing greater diversity. In 2016, 11.8 million residents in the UK were aged 65 years or over, accounting for 18% of the population.2 However, by 2066 it is anticipated that this number will increase to 20.4 million residents aged 65 years or over, accounting for 26% of the population, an increase of 8.6 million.
Looking further, this growth predicts that the fastest increase will be in the 85 years and above age group. In 2016, there were 1.6 million people in the UK who were 85 years and above, making up 2% of the population. It is forecast that by 2066, there will be 5.1 million people over 85, accounting for 7% of the total UK population, an increase in 3.5 million. The greatest increase will be among the ‘oldest old,’ those over 85 years (Table 1).3
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