Trends in predoctoral education in geriatric dentistry

Historically, education in geriatric dentistry has been limited in both quantity and quality. More recently, a number of educational initiatives have been developed in response to the growing number of older adults and their changing oral health status and dental treatment needs. A survey of U.S. and Canadian dental schools examined curriculum trends and assessed the effectiveness of educational initiatives and the value of AADS/AoA geriatric dental curricular materials. All schools responded. Compared to previous reports, more schools had geriatric didactic course(s), clinical rotations, and faculty with geriatric dental training. Fifty-eight percent of dental schools support geriatric dentistry in their budgets. The primary barriers to program expansion continue to be the lack of trained faculty members, a crowded curriculum, and fiscal concerns.