Integrating geriatric dentistry into general practice residency programs

As the proportion of elderly people in society increases, so will the general practitioner's professional contact with the geriatric patient. Such a change will necessitate an alteration in patterns of practice. The "new elderly" are presenting with complicated restorative needs, and they increasingly expect the high quality of dentistry they have received much of their lives. Their expectations will require an enhancement and refinement of the general practitioner's diagnostic and therapeutic skills in geriatric dentistry. Yet the predoctoral dental curriculum is unable to provide the depth of experience and knowledge required. The amount of information that must be assimilated and the type of supervised clinic activities that must be experienced to prepare a student adequately in geriatric oral health care are too extensive to be included in a four-year program. Under the existing dental educational system, the fully skilled, professionally secure, and clinically astute general practitioner capable of managing the complex needs of the elderly will emerge from the general practice residency.