[Caries decline and changing pattern of dental therapy]

The most striking feature of some industrialized countries is a dramatic reduction of the prevalence of dental caries among school-aged children. As a result, teeth are being retained longer than before and it is possible that the incidence of caries--especially root caries--is increasing. It is an error of judgement that dentistry becomes simplier. With the increase of life span there will be an increase of needs for restorative dentistry in the older age groups of the population. The dentist of the future has to be a flexible practitioner who has had a broader based education.