Predicted distribution of treatment needs for caries across three indicator age groups by the year 2031.

New Zealand is undergoing a demographic transition which is resulting in fewer young people and greater numbers of elderly people. A dental transition is also occurring by which more elderly people are retaining more teeth. Projections of the caries experience of three indicator adult age groups show that the bulk of future restorative demands on the dental-care system will come from those in the middle-aged and elderly groups. Such a trend requires an increase in gerodontological input at all levels of dental education and training.