Older people didn't use to have dental problems in large part because they had no teeth or they didn't get to be old. Many elderly are better educated, partly because of the GI bill, and no longer feel that dentures are inevitable. The first priority of the dentist is to alleviate pain and resolve infection. Other treatment is elective but very helpful. Many elderly delay visits to a dentist.
Minor reasons are fear, cost, and difficulty of access.
Wouldn't it be nice if we had a simple device to alert the older adult population to the need for dental care. Fortunately, we do. Here's how to preserve that smile. In the 48 without dental disease only 5 scored 2 points or more. Ten percent false positives.