Development of a Gerodontology course in Athens: a pilot study

Kossioni, Anastassia; Karkazis, Hercules C.

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0579.2006.00402.x

Cited by 15 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…In German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) an increase in undergraduate Gerodontology teaching from 2004 to 2009 was recorded [19], including dedicated Gerodontology courses [20]. In Athens, Greece, Gerodontology education has been developed within Removable Prosthodontics since 1991, and has been taught as a dedicated course since 2003 [21]. The 2004–2006 dental schools’ graduates in Belgium reported increased variation in the Gerodontology curricula among the Belgian dental schools [22], while in Spain 42.0% of schools offered a specific Gerodontology course in 2015, with only one school offering training in outreach settings [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Higher education in Gerodontology in European Universities

Kossioni

McKenna²,

Müller

et al. 2017

BMC Oral Health

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BackgroundThe rapid aging of the European population and the subsequent increase in the oral care needs in older adults necessitates adequate training of dental professionals in Gerodontology (Geriatric Dentistry). This study was designed to investigate the current status of Gerodontology teaching amongst European dental schools at the undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education levels.MethodsAn electronic questionnaire was developed by a panel of experts and emailed to the Deans or other contact persons of 216 dental schools across 39 European countries. The questionnaire recorded activity levels, contents and methodology of Gerodontology teaching as part of dental education programs. Repeated e-mail reminders and telephone calls were used to encourage non-responders to complete the questionnaire.ResultsA total of 123 responses from 29 countries were received (response rate: 56.9%). Gerodontology was taught in 86.2% of schools at the undergraduate level, in 30.9% at the postgraduate level and in 30.1% at the continuing education level. A total of 43.9% of the responding schools had a dedicated Gerodontology program director. Gerodontology was taught as an independent subject in 37.4% of the respondent schools. Medical problems in old age, salivary impairment and prosthodontic management were the most commonly covered topics in Gerodontology teaching. Clinical teaching took place in 64.2% of the respondent schools, with 26.8% offering clinical training in outreach facilities.ConclusionsThe vast majority of European dental schools currently teach Gerodontology at the undergraduate level. More training opportunities in oral care of frail elders should be offered, and more emphasis should be placed on interdisciplinary and interprofessional training, educational collaborations, and the use of modern technologies. Dedicated postgraduate Gerodontology courses need to be developed to create a significant number of specialized dentists and trained academics.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12903-017-0362-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is recognized that most schools face significant barriers to implement the ECG guidelines for Gerodontology teaching, including a busy curriculum, lack of sufficiently trained staff and resources and faculty members with other teaching priorities [20, 21, 24, 29, 33, 34]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher education in Gerodontology in European Universities

Kossioni

McKenna²,

Müller

et al. 2017

BMC Oral Health

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“…During the last 15-years Gerodontology has been included in the curriculae of many Dental Schools (Nitschke et al 2001; Mohammad et al 2003; Kossioni and Karkazis 2006). Three factors are mainly responsible: (a) the increased number of older persons in the present society, (b) their often complicated general condition that affects dental management, and (c) the changes in the dental disease and needs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The stomatognathic system in the elderly. Useful information for the medical practitioner

Kossioni

Dontas²

2008

CIA

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Aging per se has a small effect on oral tissues and functions, and most changes are secondary to extrinsic factors. The most common oral diseases in the elderly are increased tooth loss due to periodontal disease and dental caries, and oral precancer/cancer. There are many general, medical and socioeconomic factors related to dental disease (ie, disease, medications, cost, educational background, social class). Retaining less than 20 teeth is related to chewing difficulties. Tooth loss and the associated reduced masticatory performance lead to a diet poor in fibers, rich in saturated fat and cholesterols, related to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and gastrointestinal cancer. The presence of occlusal tooth contacts is also important for swallowing. Xerostomia is common in the elderly, causing pain and discomfort, and is usually related to disease and medication. Oral health parameters (ie, periodontal disease, tooth loss, poor oral hygiene) have also been related to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, bacterial pneumonia, and increased mortality, but the results are not yet conclusive, because of the many confounding factors. Oral health affects quality of life of the elderly, because of its impact on eating, comfort, appearance and socializing. On the other hand, impaired general condition deteriorates oral condition. It is therefore important for the medical practitioner to exchange information and cooperate with a dentist in order to improve patient care.

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“…Variations in teaching programs concerning geriatric dentistry among dental schools are evident, but this is also evident in the rest of the dental schools in Europe (Kossioni and Karkazis, 2006). The findings from this study show that Geriatric dentistry has not developed as a separate subject in majority of schools.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Undergraduate Geriatric Dentistry Programs in Spain

Galindo

Perez

Eaton

et al. 2015

Current Research in Dentistry

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The increasing size of the elderly population in Spain underlines the need for the dental profession to pay particular attention to the oral health needs of older patients. The aim of this study was to perform a preliminary assessment of the Geriatric Dentistry education programs in Spanish dental schools and highlight the models being employed for the geriatric training programs in these schools. The assessment was designed to be a cross-sectional study, which involved all the dental schools (n = 19) in Spain. Using a simple, 12-item questionnaire, information regarding the geriatric dental education programs in the schools was collected from their official websites by researchers from the University of Seville. In the first instance, the information was collected from the dental schools' websites and included the history, frequency and characteristics of the geriatric dental program. The deans or their deputies from those schools with a geriatric dental education programme were then asked to validate the data obtained from the websites. Only eight (42%) of schools offered a specific geriatric dentistry course. Seven of these schools were public and only one was private. The other 11 Spanish dental schools (five public and six private) did not offer a specific geriatric dentistry course. Seven out of the eight schools taught the course using a didactic teaching method and none of these seven included a clinical component in the program. No school had a specific geriatric dentistry clinic within the school, neither did they run geriatric clinics at remote locations or operate mobile dental clinics for geriatric patients. This study has described the current provision of dental undergraduate education in geriatric dentistry in Spain. The results suggest that there is a need to develop the curriculum content, design, implementation and evaluation of geriatric dentistry programs. Research should also focus on assessing the access to and improvement in the oral care of the elderly population.

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Development of a Gerodontology course in Athens: a pilot study

Cited by 15 publications

References 10 publications

Higher education in Gerodontology in European Universities

Higher education in Gerodontology in European Universities

The stomatognathic system in the elderly. Useful information for the medical practitioner

Undergraduate Geriatric Dentistry Programs in Spain

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