DENTAL OPINION FROM SIR PAUL BERESFORD, BDS. MP LIFE EXPECTANCY AND DENTISTRY Leave a comment

It was big news in the national press. Well it was trumpeted on page 6. All the clever headline writers had a field day. Sample the Daily Telegraph – “Growth in life expectancy stops dead in its tracks”. The Times is less dramatic – “Britain falls to the bottom for improving life expectancy”.

As one would expect the articles were written to generate the worst. The papers looked at average life expectancy at 79.2 years for men and 82.9 for women in the UK. The articles then expanded to look at gloomy statistics of areas where life expectancy was lower and that amongst those aged 90-94 now there are only, twice as many women as men. Perhaps there is hope for us males. Also, longevity amongst the elderly was still rising.