Issues in the treatment of root caries in older adults.

Increased life expectancy, improvements in tooth retention, and higher expectations about oral health will continue to result in an increased demand for esthetic restorative dental care. Using demographics as a predictor of future dental treatment needs, root caries may be one of the most significant patient management issues of the next decade. Root caries also can present the clinician with challenging restorative problems. The best treatment option is determined by the lesion, the caries rate, the condition of the patient, and the esthetic requirement or desire. Material selection is critical for successful restoration of root caries. The treatment of root caries also should include methods for the prevention of future lesions. Although caries risk assessment is not a perfected science, models can assist in estimating caries risk and then guide the clinician toward the most suitable preventive approach.