Geriatric Dentistry Curriculum in Six Continents.

Area of Science:

• Oral health sciences
• Dental education
• Gerontology

Background:

• Geriatric dentistry (GD) focuses on the oral health needs of older adults.
• The integration of GD into dental curricula is crucial for addressing the aging global population's specific requirements.
• Limited data exists on the global prevalence and content of GD within dental school programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and scope of geriatric dentistry (GD) in dental school curricula globally.
• To compare the content of GD education across different dental institutions worldwide.
• To establish a baseline understanding of GD's current standing in international dental education.

Main Methods:

• A web-based survey was distributed to 83 dental schools across 24 countries on six continents.
• The survey comprised 25 items designed to assess the structure and content of geriatric dentistry (GD) curricula.
• A response rate of 16.4% was achieved, with data analyzed to identify trends in GD education.

Main Results:

• Geriatric dentistry (GD) is a mandatory course in 67.5% of surveyed dental schools and an independent subject in 16.9%.
• Mandatory clinical education in GD is present in 67.5% of participating dental schools.
• No significant association was found between school type, location, or presentation method and the desire to expand GD curriculum.

Conclusions:

• Geriatric dentistry (GD) is increasingly becoming a standard component of dental school curricula worldwide.
• The study highlights the widespread adoption of GD as a required element in dental education.
• This research provides the first comprehensive, global overview of GD in dental curricula, utilizing an efficient web-based survey method.