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Future needs for fixed and removable partial dentures in the United States.
Chester W Douglass1, Ascella J Watson
1Department of Oral Health Policy, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA. chester_douglass@hms.harvard.edu
The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
|January 25, 2002
Summary
The demand for prosthodontic services, including dentures, is projected to rise significantly. Unmet needs for these dental procedures will increase, exceeding the available supply of dental services.
Area of Science:
- Dental Science
- Prosthodontics
- Public Health
Background:
- Declining tooth loss in adults raises concerns about future demand for prosthodontic services.
- Prosthodontic training programs are evaluating future workforce needs.
- The study addresses the anticipated need for dental prosthetics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To project the unmet need for fixed and removable partial dentures.
- Analysis covers projected needs for 2005, 2010, and 2020.
- Forecasting future demand for prosthodontic treatments.
Main Methods:
- Calculated unmet need based on population age cohorts and denture prevalence.
- Incorporated average procedure time for service delivery.
- Subtracted annual supply of prosthodontic services from total need.
Main Results:
- Total unmet need projected to increase from 488 million hours in 2005 to 560 million hours by 2020.
- Significant rise in demand for partial dentures anticipated.
- Growing gap between prosthodontic service demand and supply.
Conclusions:
- Unmet prosthodontic need will exceed service supply for the next 20 years.
- A substantial portion of the population will continue requiring partial denture services.
- Dentists must prepare for sustained demand in prosthodontics.