Evaluation of awareness and attitudes of preclinical and clinical dental students towardolder adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aims: As the population ages, dental students increasingly interact with older patients. The education they receive plays a crucial role in shaping their attitudes toward older adults and may influence treatment outcomes. Consequently, evaluating students’ perspectives on older individuals is essential for developing comprehensive and practice-oriented dental curricula. This study aimed to compare awareness and attitudes toward older adults among preclinical and clinical dental students attending dental schools in Turkiye. Methods: A total of 630 preclinical and clinical students from public and private dental faculties voluntarily participated in the study. Participants completed a 24-item questionnaire distributed via a digital link. The first two sections collected demographic information and assessed awareness regarding the importance of geriatrics in dentistry. The final section included 13 Likert-scale items evaluating students’ attitudes toward older adults. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25 with Pearson’s Chi square and Fisher’s exact tests to examine associations between categorical variables. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Based on a self-rated overall attitude item, the majority of students (n=411, 65.4%) reported a positive attitude toward older adults. Students reporting close relationships with older adults demonstrated more positive attitudes compared with those without such relationships (p<0.05). A statistically significant association was observed between educational stage (preclinical vs. clinical) and attitudes toward older adults (p<0.05). Additionally, 95% of students considered geriatrics education to be important in dental education. Conclusion: Clinical students demonstrated more positive attitudes toward older adults than preclinical students, particularly regarding trust in clinical practice, perceived appreciation by older patients, and ease of communication during medical history-taking. However, both groups indicated areas requiring further development in geriatric awareness and self-reported preparedness for patient care. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening and integrating theoretical and practical components of geriatric education within dental curricula to better prepare future dentists to address the oral health needs of an aging population.

Keywords

• Geriatric dentistry
• attitudes
• awareness
• dental education
• older adults

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