Today, the dental care system should perform optimal customized implant-prosthesis treatment according to the patient's oral condition for a life triad based on 100 years of human life. Today's concept of digital dentistry and ‘teeth modeling’ is based on ‘top-down treatment philosophy’ (Leesungbok 2004), and the most important foundation is establishing ‘restoration-driven’ (Garber & Belser 2016) treatment plans according to the position and function of the final dentition. In addition, even after implant surgery for prosthodontic treatment is completed, a differentiated program should be put into place to manage and maintain dental implants so that prostheses or implant restorations can be maintained in the oral cavity for an extended period. The most frequent oral dysfunction among the elderly aged 65 or older is related to missing and mobile teeth. It is true that the physical aging process varies greatly from person to person, depending on when and how the lost areas in dentition were treated after the teeth were lost. Social phobias and depression due to loss of anterior teeth, and malnutrition, decreased physical strength, decreased muscle strength caused by deterioration of the chewing function due to loss of posterior teeth, and an unsanitary oral environment can cause halitosis, stomatitis, ulcers, and oral cancer. Poor oral hygiene can lead to various systemic diseases after leaving missing teeth untreated for a long time, with the probability of periodontal disease progressing, and heart disease and pneumonia can increase due to bacterial reproduction from residual food in the mouth. For elderly people who aim to reach 100, it is only possible to maintain and improve oral function through constant oral healthcare, and it should be recognized that efforts to gain confidence in their overall and facial appearance are a very important factor towards improving their quality of life.
Life expectancy at the age of 65 years is the average number of years that a person at that age can be expected to live, if age-specific mortality levels remain constant. However, the actual age-specific death rate of any particular birth cohort cannot be known in advance. If death rates fall, as has been the case in past decades in OECD countries, actual life spans will be higher than the life expectancy calculated using current death rates. The methodology used to calculate life expectancy can vary slightly between countries. This can change a country’s estimates by a fraction of a year. This indicator is presented by gender and is measured in years.
The National Statistical Office of the Republic of Korea released ‘2021 Statistics for the Elderly’ in September 2021. The number of elderly people aged 65 or older in South Korea increased by 460,000, accounting for 16.4% of the total population in 2021. The number of foreigners was 1.7 million, 3.3% of the total population, down 80,000 from 2019. The percentage of over-65s is expected to reach 20.3% in 2025 and 43.9% in 2060, and our society is demanding various welfare policies for the elderly. In 2018, the life expectancy of 65-year-olds in South Korea was 20.8 years, higher than the OECD average. It is expected that entry into a super-aged society proposed by the United Nations (UN) will be amazingly fast. Currently, Korea is aging three to ten times faster than France and the United States, and more national, social, and personal efforts will be needed to prepare for an aging society (Table 1).
For the disabled and elderly, the masticatory function plays a crucial part in life satisfaction as well as health-related quality. Nutritional care is essential when they suffer from chronic and severe disorders. From this point of view, continuous dental care and prosthodontic treatment are the most important issues relating to aging and oral healthcare of the elderly.