What influences dental students' attitudes regarding the treatment of older adults? A scoping review.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the literature to evaluate dental students' attitudes regarding the treatment of older adults. METHODS: A scoping review was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses/PRISMA guidelines to identify articles from four electronic databases: MEDLINE via the PubMed interface, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and AgeLine. Gray literature searches were also performed in Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses-Health and Medicine. RESULTS: Eleven articles were assessed. The majority (72, 72%) were published between 2011 and 2020, evidencing various contexts of dental students, such as different countries and cultures, and levels of education. The most commonly used tool/instrument to survey dental students' attitudes was the Aging Semantic Differential Scale. Student age, race, and marital status did not seem to interfere with dental students' attitudes regarding the treatment of older adults. CONCLUSIONS: Dental students tend to have a positive attitude toward older people. In this context, female students, students who interact with older people, and clinical students have more positive attitudes than male and nonclinical students.

Oral health of the Latin American elders: What we know and what we should do-Position paper of the Latin American Oral Geriatric Group of the International Association for Dental Research.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to gather information and discuss oral health status of older people in the Latin American and Caribbean region (LAC). BACKGROUND: Scarce data are available to portrait the oral situation of older people in the region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This review paper is the result of a meeting of the IADR's Latin American Geriatric Oral Research Group held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in November of 2016, part of the activities of an IADR Regional Development Programme (RDP). A group of researchers from 8 countries of LAC held a discussion using 5 questions related to the oral health situation of older Latin Americans, the most appropriate strategies to face the problem and the challenges for the future, with an open discussion format. In a second step, a group of 6 experts refined the answers and reviewed the existent literature. RESULTS: The review of the evidence revealed that only a few LAC countries have information, which suggests the need for multinational efforts to understand the oral health status and programmes in place. Of the few studies available, it is possible to observe poor oral health as a common feature of older adults in the region. CONCLUSION: There is a need for the development of national surveys and standardised tools for the assessment of oral health in older adults. Also, intense advocacy to modify and influence public health policies in the different countries of the LAC is strongly recommended.

Baixa prevalência de cárie: grupo de polarização e a importância dos aspectos familiares / Low prevalence of caries: polarization group and the importance of family aspects

Objetivo: Investigou-se a influência de fatores, sociodemográficos, de acesso a serviços odontológicos na experiência de cárie dentária em grupo de alta experiência de cárie (Sic) de um município com características de país desenvolvido. Metodologia: Estudo transversal, com amostra de escolares de 12 anos. Foram feitos exames clínicos utilizando o índice CPOD (dentes permanentes cariados-perdidos-obturados), e para obtenção do grupo com alta experiência de cárie, o índice SiC; para as características sociodemográficas e de acesso a serviços odontológicos, um questionário foi respondido pelos pais dos alunos. A associação entre cárie dentária e as variáveis exploratórias foi verificada por análise de regressão logística simples e múltipla. Resultados: O CPOD no grupo Sic foi 3,16 (±1,37). As variáveis associadas com o grupo SiC foram: "consulta por rotina" RP=0,56), "ter somente o pai/mãe ou outro responsável pelo sustento do escolar" (RP=1,84), e "escolaridade da mãe" (RP=1,82). As variáveis independentes associadas com a presença de experiência de cárie (CPOD>0) foram: consulta por rotina" (RP=0,66), "nunca evitaram sorrir" (RP=0,66) e "escolaridade do pai" (RP=1,69). Conclusão: As variáveis socioeconômicas se associaram com experiência de cárie e com grupo Sic sendo que as de autopercepção se relacionaram com experiência de cárie, porém não com o grupo Sic.

We investigated the influence of sociodemographic, access to dental services in dental caries experience in the group of high caries experience (Sic) of a municipality with features of developed country. It is a cross-sectional study with a sample of schoolchildren aged 12 years. Clinical examinations using the DMFT (decayed, missing, filled permanent teeth), and to obtain the group with high caries experience, Sic index, for sociodemographics and access to dental services, a questionnaire was completed by parents students. The association between dental caries and the explanatory variables was verified by analysis of simple and multiple logistic regression. The DMFT index in the high caries experience (group SiC) was 3.16 (± 1.37). The variables associated with the group SiC were routinely query (PR = 0.56), or a parent or other person be responsible for supporting the school (PR = 1.84), and maternal education (PR = 1, 82). Independent variables associated with the presence of caries experience (DMFT> 0) were routinely query (PR = 0.66), never avoided smiling (PR = 0.66) and paternal education (PR = 1.69). The socioeconomic variables were associated with caries experience and Sic group being that of perception were related to caries experience but not with Sic group.