Preparing for the demands of an ageing population
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 11th January 2023
As society progresses, declining birth rates and improvements in life expectancy in the UK have meant we are now living with an increasingly ageing population. In 2019, almost one fifth of the UK population was aged over 65. The number of people who fell into this age group increased by 23% between 2009 and 2019, while during the same period the UK’s population only increased by 7%.[i] To put this into wider context, the median age of a UK individual is now 40.4, which, when you consider that the average age was just 37.9 in 2001, shows just how quickly our population dynamics are changing.[ii]
What’s particularly interesting is that this trend is only likely to continue, with forecasts suggesting that by 2043, 24% of all UK individuals will be over the age of 65.[iii] For dentists, it’s important to consider what this will mean for the sort of treatments your patients require, and how modern society is shaping treatment expectations.
Oral health in older age
It goes without saying that the older we get, the more likely we are to have a number of health conditions. In oral health this is particularly true – as tooth enamel doesn’t regenerate, elderly patients are more likely to experience general wear and tear to their teeth. Chips to the tooth structure, enamel erosion and other problems associated with years of use can quickly result in further problems developing such as tooth decay.
Additionally, as people get older, they tend to produce less saliva. Xerostomia may be a result of individuals taking medications to help manage other health conditions, but because salivary flow is reduced teeth are more likely to experience decay.[iv]
These are just some of the factors at play. We also need to remember that dentistry has advanced considerably in the last decade or so, meaning that many of the individuals who are in the older age range are likely to have had considerable dental work in their younger years, which may have led to more problems in their current stage of life.
It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the overall picture of oral health among this older segment of society is far from ideal. A report from 2017 suggested that over 1.8 million individuals aged 65 or over had a serious oral health problem, including extensive decay, oral sepsis and dental pain.[v] Since this report, we’ve had a pandemic that has restricted service access, and we’re living in a cost-of-living crisis that likely means more and more people in this segment of society are experiencing urgent dental problems as they can’t afford to access services.
In many cases, the overall result of these problems is tooth loss, meaning that older patients are increasingly likely to explore solutions for edentulism such as dentures and dental implants.
Treatment expectations
Much like the rapid shift in population age, recent years have also seen a change in expectations among the patient population. Now more than ever, people are looking for fast, high quality options that offer a long-lasting solution to their problems.
In terms of treating edentulism, this means that more and more people are now considering dental implants over removable options such as dentures. This is reflected in the growth of the dental implant market in the UK, with forecasts suggesting that by 2028 it will have grown by 8.9%.[vi]
However, as any professional who provides dental implant surgery will know, the planning and treatment process is often complex, meaning that providing a swift, high-quality solution isn’t always straightforward.
But how can professionals help streamline dental implantology and provide a faster, more confident service?
Technology that goes further
One trusted way to streamline implant planning is to invest in technology that allows you to take a more dynamic approach to implantology at every step. For example, the Prosthetic-Driven Implant Planning Module (PDIP) from Carestream Dental streamlines the implant workflow, seamlessly allowing professionals to merge data collected from intraoral and CBCT scans, virtually plan implants “from the crown down” and use this information to print surgical guides. This way, clinicians can save time and simplify the treatment process for themselves and patients, resulting in confident, high-quality care.
Prepare for the future of dentistry
With the population continuing to get older and the demand for dental implantology on the rise, it makes sense to invest in technology that allows you to help this all-important segment of society. This way, you can easily meet the needs of these patients now and in the future.
For more information, contact Carestream Dental on 0800 169 9692 or
visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @carestreamdental.uk
Nimisha Nariapara
Nimisha is the Trade Marketing Manager at Carestream Dental covering the UK, Middle East, Nordics, South Africa, Russia and CIS regions. She has worked at Carestream Dental for the past 7 years, where she has developed her marketing skills and industry knowledge to bring the core values and philosophy of the company to the market.
[i] House of Commons Library. Housing An Ageing Population: A Reading List. Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9239/#:~:text=The%20UK’s%20ageing%20population,or%20around%2012.3%20million%20people. [Last accessed September 22].
[ii] Statista. Median Age of the Population of the UK 2001-2020. Link: https://www.statista.com/statistics/281288/median-age-of-the-population-of-the-uk/#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20the%20median%20age,median%20age%20remained%20at%2040. [Last accessed September 22].
[iii] House of Commons Library. Housing An Ageing Population: A Reading List. Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9239/#:~:text=The%20UK’s%20ageing%20population,or%20around%2012.3%20million%20people. [Last accessed September 22].
[iv] WebMD. How Teeth Change With Age. Link: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/teeth-gums-age#:~:text=Saliva%20helps%20clean%20teeth%20and,medication%20could%20be%20to%20blame. [Last accessed September 22].
[v] Royal College of Surgeons England. Leading dentists Warn an Estimated 1.8 million or More Over-65s Have An Urgent Dental Problem. Link: https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/older-people-oral-health/ [Last accessed September 22].
[vi] Graphical Research. Europe Dental Implants Market Forecast 2028 By Material (Titanium, Zirconium), By Product (Tapered Implants, Parallel Walled Implants), By End-use (Hospitals, Dental Clinics), Research Report, Country Outlook (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Sweden), COVID-19 Impact Statistics, Price Trends, Historic Data, Growth Prospects, Competitive Industry Share. Link: https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1018/europe-dental-implants-market#:~:text=How%20big%20is%20the%20dental,oral%20health%20in%20the%20country. [Last accessed September 22].
