Objectives To describe the validation of a new 27‐item ageism scale for dental students in Greece. Background A new ageism scale for dental students has been developed by American and European Gerodontology educators and was preliminary validated in the United States. Methods The scale was translated into Greek and administered to 8th‐ and 10th‐semester dental students in Athens. Principal components analysis was used to explore the internal structure of the measure; internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α coefficient; corrected item‐total correlations were calculated to decide which low contributing items should be removed from the scale; and discriminant validity was tested investigating variation in relation to demographic and educational factors. Results A total of 152 students responded to the questionnaire. The Principal component analysis offered a 15‐item scale distributed into four factors that accounted for 56.4%, of the total variance, produced stronger factor loadings, a comparable amount of overall component variance and logical sets of components. The four factors produced were values/ethics about older people (four items, α = 0.71), patient compliance (four items, α = 0.72), barriers to dental care (four items, α = 0.57) and dentist‐older patient interaction (three items, α = 0.64). Discriminant validity revealed statistically significant differences in factors and items related to semester of studies, gender and family's permanent residence. Conclusion The preliminary validation of the Greek version of the ageing scale for dental students revealed a 15‐item questionnaire that demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability and could be further tested in larger samples.

Purpose/aim: Ageism negatively affects health care. This paper presents an extended validation of a novel scale assessing ageism among dental students. Method and materials:A previously pilot-tested 27-question scale applied to a larger sample (n = 315) from two U.S. dental schools with Principal Component Analysis used to assess internal structure of the measure. Questions whose deletion increased the overall loading on >1 factor or those unexpectedly grouped in another factor were thoroughly examined.

Purpose/objectives To investigate dental students’ perceptions and concerns regarding the COVID‐19 pandemic, their coping strategies and support resources, and their perceived stress levels. Methods A customized 19‐item survey and the perceived stress scale (PSS) were applied to undergraduate dental students from the US, Spain, Ireland, Chile, India, and Brazil between April 10 and July 5, 2020. Linear modeling and mediation analysis were used to explore the relationships among demographics, stressors, coping mechanisms, social support, and stress Results A total of 4475 students responded to the survey. The majority (72.4%) were women, and 52.3% had no COVID‐19 training at the time of the survey. The students reported that they had to accommodate to changes in patient care (96.6%) and didactic learning (95.2%) activities, while 88.5% of the respondents indicated at least one of their courses moved online. Transition to online courses went “smoothly with some troubles” for 51.8% of the respondents, and 48.3% perceived the faculty as prepared for the online transition; however, 45.9% reported feeling extremely concerned about the impact of COVID‐19 on their education. The average PSS score was 21.9 of 40 (moderate stress). Multivariate models were built for participants with full data (n = 3899). Being male, having completed more dental coursework, and perceiving a smoother transition were associated with lower PSS scores; more concern about academic progress was associated with higher PSS. Faculty support mediated the relationship between a smoothness of transition and concern about academic progress and PSS scores Conclusion Stress caused by the pandemic may be alleviated by smoother transition and good faculty support.

The world population is aging, and for the first time in human history the majority of the population can expect to reach at least 60 years of age. This has been recognized as one of humanity' s major achievements. 1 However, a growing older adult population requires profound changes in the existing health care systems, as diseases burden disproportionally affect the aged cohorts. Many older adults have multiple comorbidities, with appropriate medical care compromised by many factors, including ageism. 2

The aim of this study was to help inform faculty and curriculum leaders in academic dental institutions about the knowledge, skills, perceptions, and behavior of an institutionally diverse population of dental students with respect to evidencebased practice (EBP). A survey utilizing the validated Knowledge, Attitudes, Access, and Confidence Evaluation instrument developed by Hendricson et al. was conducted in 2012 with fourth-year dental students at seven geographically dispersed U.S. dental schools. The survey addressed elements of EBP knowledge, attitudes toward EBP, behavior in accessing evidence, and perceptions of competence in statistical analysis. A total of 138 students from the seven schools participated. A slight majority of these students correctly responded to the knowledge of critical appraisal questions. While the students demonstrated positive attitudes about EBP, they did not report high levels of confidence in their critical appraisal skills. The findings also showed that the students accessed various sources of evidence with differing frequencies. The most frequently accessed resources were colleagues, the Internet (excluding Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), and textbooks. The results of this study help to identify areas for improvement in EBP education in order to advance dental students' preparation to become evidence-based practitioners.

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Purpose/objectives: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a promising therapy for arresting and preventing caries in difficult to treat, high-risk populations, including institutionalized older adults. This study investigates the knowledge and perceptions about SDF of graduating dental students in multiple U.S. dental schools, as well as their willingness to use SDF in their practices. Methods: A survey was designed consisting of 21 total questions: 6 questions regarding students' demographic information and their SDF content exposure contextualization, 8 questions tailored to investigate 2 domains regarding students' knowledge about SDF (properties and indication), and 7 questions aiming to investigate 3 domains regarding students' perceptions about SDF (SDF usefulness, appropriateness of using SDF, and willingness to use SDF when in private practice). The survey was then distributed to graduating dental students at 7 U.S. dental schools.