Many older people are unable to access dental care for reasons related to availability, affordability
and other factors. Comprehensive, on-site dental services are not available in many institutional settings, which makes access to care difficult or unrealistic. The need for solutions to this problem is becoming more acute each year. The number of elderly clients who need service is growing, and their life spans are increasing. It is estimated that by 2011 the proportion of the population over 65 years of age will constitute 15% of the population.1 In 1996, 10% of the elderly population in Canada (age ≥ 65 years) lived in collective households including hospitals, special care centres and related institutions.2 As the aging population expands, the number of people living in such institutions will likely grow exponentially. In addition, people are retaining more of their own teeth into old age than was the case in the past.3 The results of a U.S. national survey (1988–1991) demonstrated that 89% of the
population was dentate at that time.