Reflections on changes in geriatric dentistry
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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
R L Ettinger1, C Watkins, H Cowen
1Department of Prosthodontics and Dows Institute for Dental Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA. ettinger@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
Abstract:
The development of geriatric dental education programs in the United States and at the University of Iowa over the last twenty years is reviewed. The program at Iowa evolved from a didactic elective program taught by a single faculty person to required didactic and clinical programs that include a special care clinic in the dental school and a mobile unit with portable equipment serving ten area nursing homes with comprehensive care. Factors influencing the curriculum development are identified and discussed, and as no dental schools are the same, some general applications are suggested from the Iowa experience.
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