Dental demands of older people living at home in Hertfordshire: changes over a 10-year period.
A random sample of 300 subjects aged 65 and over, living at home in Hertfordshire, was interviewed to establish whether any changes in their oral status had arisen since a previous survey 10 years earlier. Results show that considerable improvements have taken place. The level of perceived need has fallen by about one-third, there has been a large fall in the proportion who are edentulous and a marked increase in the percentage of those with 10 or more natural teeth. Those with dentures are replacing them more frequently.