The teaching of geriatric dentistry in South Korean dental schools.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the curriculum of geriatric dentistry for undergraduates in Korean dental schools. BACKGROUND: For development purposes, it was necessary to compare geriatric dentistry education programmes in South Korea to programmes in the United States and Europe. METHODS: The most recent curriculum and related information on geriatric dentistry at the undergraduate level in all 11 dental schools in South Korea were collected by both official letter and e-mail. A symposium for gathering expert opinions to improve geriatric dentistry education in South Korea was also held. The collected data were analysed, and the expert opinions at the symposium were summarised. RESULTS: Six of 11 schools had a didactic course as compulsory and three schools as elective. The course was usually conducted as a form of integrated lectures, and the level of standardisation of lecture content was very low. There were no topics for older people who cannot access dental clinics due to functional frailty or disability. No dental school-affiliated hospitals had an independent department for geriatric dentistry. No schools provided clinical teaching for geriatric dentistry. There were no outreach programmes for geriatric dentistry. CONCLUSIONS: The educational curriculum for geriatric dentistry in South Korea was insufficient to cope with social and demographic changes. Curriculum content should include clinical practice education and needs to be focused on frail and dependent older adult patients. An essential educational curriculum and core competency for geriatric dentistry should be prepared.

Dry mouth among the elderly in Korea: a survey of prevalence, severity, and associated factors.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of dry mouth among elderly population of Korea and to evaluate associate factors and their impact. STUDY DESIGN: Telephone interviews were conducted on a stratified random sample of 1,012 subjects aged ≥ 55 years. Prevalence of dry mouth symptoms, severity of overall oral dryness, and associated factors were assessed using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the subjects, 70.1% reported to have at least one dry mouth-related symptom and 25.8% were classified with considerable dry mouth. Overall oral dryness severity of each of these groups was 4.30 ± 2.67 and 6.09 ± 2.25, respectively, on a 0-10 scale. Odds ratio of dry mouth increased in women, in smokers, and with increased age and number of medications taken. Women and number of medications taken were significantly associated with overall oral dryness severity. CONCLUSION: A major portion of the Korean elderly reported various dry mouth symptoms, and a wide range of severity and discomfort was caused by these symptoms.