Training will be ongoing with a cascade training approach. For the greater proportion of people it is a big problem, increasingly so as people become older. It will effect a person's ability to function, socialize and their dignity and quality of life. They may lose their denture wearing skills. It is also a problem for the dentist in that it is difficult to provide a satisfactory replacement when this vital information is lost.
Most evidence is anecdotal.
The problem is widely thought to be considerable with most losses occurring when there is a change of environment especially when a person goes into hospital. It is profound as far as the patient is concerned especially for those with special problems such as large clefts or stroke patients. There should be further investigation of the size of the problem. It is not integrated as part of overall care. There is a need for more information to put over the problem created by denture loss and the implications for replacement.