Ageing population puts pressure on Dutch dental care providers

New research by Rabobank shows that the country’s ageing population is putting increasing pressure on dental care providers.

A report published on Monday warns there are not enough dentists too keep up with the specialsed needs of the elderly.

“The increasing ageing of the population also brings with it changing challenges in terms of knowledge and the way of working in dental practices,” the report says.

In 2045, more than one in seven residents of the Netherlands will be older than 75, compared to one in ten now.

The proportion of people over 75 without their own teeth has fallen considerably in the last two decades, thanks to technological advancements and the improved financial situation for many later in life. As such, older people often need more frequent and specialised care including the maintenance of crowns, bridges and implants.

People over 75 contacted the dentist 3.2 times a year on average in 2025, compared to 1.6 times in 2014, the report says.

More capacity needed

The professional association KNMT warned parliament in 2021 that a shortage of service providers was looming and called for more capacity to train dentists.

Currently, there are 259 dental training places at three universities. Last year, the education ministry decided to gradually expand the number of dentistry study places to 290 by 2027.

The gaps are already being filled by dentists from other countries. Some 25 percent of the dentists working in the Netherlands were trained abroad and that number continues to rise.