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Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
A Cross-Sectional Survey on Preparedness for Geriatric Dentistry: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Barriers Among
Nur Amalina Hani Senin1,2, Nawwal Alwani Mohd Radzi1, Diyana Shereen Anwar1
1Centre of Population Oral Health and Clinical Prevention, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia.
Background:
As populations age globally, effective geriatric oral health interventions require a workforce equipped with the necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills. In Malaysia, geriatric dentistry is not yet a recognised speciality and training opportunities remain limited within undergraduate curricula and continuing professional development.
Objectives:
To assess the knowledge, attitudes, practices (KAP) and perceived barriers of dental practitioners in providing care for older adults, as baseline evidence for developing educational interventions.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 260 dental practitioners from the Ministry of Health in Selangor, Malaysia. A validated self-administered questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitudes, practices and barriers across domains such as treatment complexity, polypharmacy, functional status and time demands. Preparedness was defined as the combined score of the KAP domains. Descriptive and inferential analyses, including modified Poisson regression, were conducted.
Results:
Respondents were mainly female (91.2%) and over half were aged 32 or older (51.9%). Most practitioners demonstrated good knowledge (96.2%), while attitudes were moderate (68.1%). The mean barrier score was 3.8 (±0.4), with the most frequently reported obstacles being disease complexity, polypharmacy and functional limitations of older adults. Modified Poisson regression revealed that higher knowledge (PR = 3.68, p < 0.05) was significantly associated with greater recognition of barriers, suggesting heightened awareness but not necessarily preparedness.
Conclusion:
Despite strong knowledge levels, moderate attitudes and recognition of significant barriers, this highlights the urgent need for structured educational interventions in geriatric dentistry. Integrating geriatric-focused modules into undergraduate curricula, expanding continuing professional development and fostering interprofessional learning are critical to preparing a competent workforce for ageing populations.
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