DENTAL PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES IN GERIATRIC DENTISTRY : A call for clinical translation.

As the proportion of older adults in the world population increases, there is an increasing need to provide adequate dental care for this very heterogeneous group of individuals. The relationship between oral and systemic health, the impact of medication on oral health, and the influence of accessibility to dental care and other social and environmental factors shape the provision of dental care for older adults more than in children, younger, and middle-aged adults. However, while dental care for older adults is shaped by these factors and is often different from the care for other adults, what matters to older dental patients does not differ from what matters to dental patients in general. The four dimensions of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL)-Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact-capture dental patients' suffering from oral disorders. OHRQoL questionnaires can be used to assess this impact and to achieve results that are compatible with adults in general. More than in other age groups, cognitive impairments or dementia limit the usefulness of questionnaires or interviews for oral health impact assessment. In these situations, family members or caregivers can assess the patient's oral health impact, and oral health care providers need to rely more on physical oral health characteristics for clinical decision-making than in other dental patients. While the tools to measure oral health impact change, the targets for dental care stay the same. Prevention and reduction of functional, painful, aesthetical, and broader psychosocial impact related to oral disorders are the central tasks for geriatric dentistry as they are for dentistry in general. The aim of the manuscript is to highlight the importance of patient-reported outcome measures in geriatric dentistry, addressing challenges and opportunities for their application.

Validation of the Korean Academy of Geriatric Dentistry screening questionnaire and oral frailty diagnostic criteria in community-dwelling older adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to establish the validity-specifically, the sensitivity and specificity-of the screening questionnaire and diagnostic criteria for oral frailty proposed by the Korean Academy of Geriatric Dentistry (KAGD) among community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This study enrolled 100 participants. Among various definitions of oral frailty, this study used the criteria proposed by Tanaka as the reference test. The screening questionnaire consisted of 11 items for screening physical frailty, chewing ability, swallowing difficulties, oral dryness, and tongue and lip motor function. Each question had a different scoring weight, and if the total score was 1 or higher, an oral frailty diagnostic examination proposed by the KAGD would be recommended. The diagnostic test was the oral frailty diagnostic criteria proposed by the KAGD including 6 measures: chewing ability, occlusal force, tongue pressure, oral dryness, swallowing difficulty, and oral hygiene. If a participant exhibited 2 or more positive measures, this participant was classified as "oral frail." The screening questionnaire was analyzed using a cut-off value of 1 or higher, while the diagnostic criteria utilized a cut-off of 2 or more positive measures. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated. RESULTS: The screening questionnaire showed significant power for screening oral frailty (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.783; sensitivity, 87.8%; specificity, 52.5%). The diagnostic accuracy of the newly proposed diagnostic criteria was acceptable (sensitivity, 95.1%; specificity, 42.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The newly proposed screening questionnaire and diagnostic criteria in Korea appear to be a useful tool to identify oral frailty in community-dwelling older adults.

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.

Autopercepção da saúde bucal e fatores associados em pessoas idosas quilombolas: um estudo de base populacional / Self-perception of oral health and associated factors in quilombola older people: a population-based study

Resumo Objetivo investigar a autopercepção das condições bucais e fatores associados em idosos quilombolas rurais do norte de Minas Gerais, Brasil. Método Trata-se de um estudo analítico e transversal de base populacional, no qual utilizou-se uma amostragem por conglomerados com probabilidade proporcional ao tamanho (n=406). A coleta de dados envolveu a realização de entrevistas e exames clínicos odontológicos. A autopercepção das condições bucais foi avaliada por meio do GOHAI (Índice de Determinação da Saúde Bucal Geriátrica). Resultados A maioria dos idosos autopercebeu a saúde bucal como ótima (46,3%) ou regular (30,2%). Os pesquisados revelaram ainda precária saúde bucal e acesso restrito aos serviços odontológicos. Verificaram-se, na análise múltipla, associações significantes (p˂0,05) entre GOHAI regular e variáveis relativas ao local da última consulta e uso de prótese, bem como entre GOHAI ruim e variáveis atinentes ao estado conjugal, religião, motivo da última consulta, índice CPO-D e uso de prótese. Conclusão Parcela expressiva dos idosos quilombolas manifestou uma autoavaliação mais positiva da saúde bucal, divergente do quadro odontológico constatado profissionalmente. Constatou-se ainda que o relato de percepção ruim das condições bucais esteve fortemente associado a uma saúde bucal mais precária entre os investigados.

Abstract Objective to investigate self-perception of oral conditions and associated factors in rural quilombola older people in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Method This is an analytical and cross-sectional population-based study, in which cluster sampling with probability proportional to size (n=406) was used. Data collection involved conducting interviews and clinical dental examinations. Self-perception of oral conditions was assessed using the GOHAI (Geriatric Oral Health Determination Index). Results Most older people self-perceived oral health as excellent (46.3%) or regular (30.2%). Those surveyed also revealed precarious oral health and restricted access to dental services. In the multiple analysis, significant associations (p˂0.05) were found between regular GOHAI and variables related to the location of the last consultation and use of prosthesis, as well as between poor GOHAI and variables related to marital status, religion, reason for last consultation, CPO-D index and use of prosthesis. Conclusion A significant portion of the quilombola older people showed a more positive self-assessment of oral health, which differs from the professionally verified dental condition. It was also found that the report of poor perception of oral conditions was strongly associated with poorer oral health among those investigated.

Is dental education meeting the oral health needs of older adults?

The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of promoting oral health for the geriatric population and implementing change to address their complex oral and systemic health needs. Oral healthcare providers are unequipped to meet the demanding oral health needs of the aging population, resulting in a geriatric oral health crisis that needs immediate attention and action. Despite the advancements in geriatric education over the last two decades, the geriatric curriculum in 2022 is still inadequate, and varies greatly among different US dental schools for both pre- and postdoctoral programs. Predoctoral students are graduating without being sufficiently trained to identify and treat the dental issues of older adults due to lack of a purposely planned curriculum with balanced didactic and clinical exposure. It is critical to have a trained and competent workforce that meets the oral health needs of current and future older adults. To change the present environment, there is a need for curriculum redesign, faculty development, and training. In addition, more research to evaluate pre- and postdoctoral geriatric dentistry curricula, their impact on increasing access to care, and the likelihood of graduating dentists competent to treat functionally dependent and frail older adults is needed. Furthermore, decision-makers in dental education, national dental organizations, and government institutions must support policies that integrate oral health into overall health through robust reimbursement mechanisms, including a dental benefit in Medicare, and recognition of geriatric dentistry as a specialty.

Conhecimento, necessidade e preferência acerca da odontologia domiciliar e condições de saúde bucal de idosos domiciliados: um estudo transversal / Knowledge, needs and preferences regarding home dentistry and oral health conditions of homebound elderly people: a cross-sectional study

O trabalho visa compreender o conhecimento, preferência e necessidade de atendimento odontológico domiciliar, além de identificar a condição de saúde bucal dos idosos domiciliados e seus fatores associados. Trata-se de dois web surveys, sendo o primeiro com a população adulta escolarizada e o segundo com a população idosa. Além disso, também foi realizado um estudo com dados secundários de prontuários de idosos que utilizaram algum serviço de atendimento odontológico domiciliar para identificar a condição de saúde bucal destes. Nos três estudos foram realizadas análise descritiva, teste do qui-quadrado e regressão robusta de Poisson com um nível de significância de 5%, tendo sido usado no último estudo a análise de Cluster de dois passos, previamente à regressão, para identificar grupos de pessoas idosas em relação à condição dentária e de reabilitação. No primeiro estudo, 443 respondentes participaram, cuja predominância foi de mulheres (67,9%) e na faixa etária de 31 a 40 anos (38,8%). A maioria dos participantes (69,5%) não conhecem o que é atendimento odontológico domiciliar. No segundo estudo, 203 idosos participaram, sendo 67% mulheres, na faixa de idade de 60 a 69 anos. A maioria dessa população não conhece a odontologia domiciliar (79,8%), nunca fez uso desse tipo de serviço (95,6%) e preferem ser atendidos em consultório odontológico (68,5%). Houve associação significativa entre conhecer a Odontologia domiciliar e ter plano de saúde médico. Foi observado ainda que aqueles idosos que não têm plano de saúde e com nível de escolaridade mais baixo preferem ser atendidos em casa em relação ao consultório tradicional. No terceiro estudo, 207 prontuários de idosos foram avaliados, cujo sexo predominante foi o feminino (58,5%), com faixa de idade 80 a 89 anos e parcialmente dependentes para atividades básicas de vida diária. Em relação à condição de saúde bucal, o CPOD médio foi de 23,5, com 3,35 pares em oclusão, sendo 75,8% edêntulos funcionais. Nos prontuários, 53,6% das pessoas idosas possuíam sangramento à sondagem em algum sextante e cerca de 20% apresentavam lesão em tecido mole. Os pacientes com mais lesões foram os idosos mais jovens, diabéticos e que foram ao dentista há mais tempo. Em relação à questão periodontal, moradores de residência individual possuem mais sangramento à sondagem. Em relação à condição dentária e de reabilitação, dois clusters foram produzidos, sendo o primeiro com idosos edêntulos e pouco reabilitados e o segundo com idosos mais dentados e reabilitados. Idosos negros e que não possuem plano de saúde estiveram mais presentes no primeiro cluster. A população em geral e idosa pouco conhece e percebe que necessitam da atenção odontológica domiciliar. Como consequência, a população idosa mais independente ainda prefere ser atendida em consultório. Ademais, a condição de saúde bucal de pacientes que utilizam atendimento odontológico domiciliar ainda é precária, fruto de uma assistência odontológica mutiladora, caracterizando o cenário desigualdade social entre as pessoas idosas domiciliadas (AU).

The study is to understand the knowledge, preference and need for dental home care addition to identifying the oral health condition of the elderly living in residence and its associated factors. Two studies are web surveys, the first with the educated adult population and the second with the elderly population. The last study was a study with secondary data from medical records of elderly people who used a home dental care service to identify their oral health condition. In three was used studies, descriptive analysis, chi-square test and robust Poisson regression were performed with a significance level of 5%, and in the last study the two-step Cluster analysis , prior to the regression, to identify groups of people elderly in relation to dental and rehabilitation status. In study number one 443 respondents participated, whose predominance was women (67.9%) and aged between 31 and 40 years (38.8%). Most participants (69.5%) don't know about home dental care. At the study number two, 203 elderly people participated, 67% of whom were women, aged between 60 and 69 years. Most of the population doesn't know about home dentistry (79.8%), has never used this type of service (95.6%) and prefers to go to the dental office (68.5%). There is a significant association between knowing about home dentistry and having a medical health plan. And those elderly people who do not have health insurance and have little education prefer to be cared for at home compared to the traditional dental office. In study three, 207 medical records of the elderly were evaluated, whose predominant sex was female (58.5%), aged 80-89 years and partially dependent for basic activities of daily living. In terms of oral health status, the mean CPOD was 23.5, with 3.35 pairs in occlusion, 75.8% of whom were functional edentulous. In the medical records, 53.6% of the elderly had bleeding on probing in some sextant and about 20% had a soft tissue lesion. Patients with more injuries were the younger elderly, diabetics and those who had been to the dentist for a longer period of time. With bleeding the probing were residents of individual residences. Two clusters were produced, the first with edentulous and poorly rehabilitated elderly and the second with more dentate and rehabilitated elderly. Black elderly people who don't have health insurance were more present in the first cluster. The population and elderly don't know and realizes that they need home dental care. As a result, the more independent elderly population still prefers to be seen in the office. Furthermore, the oral health condition of patients who use home dental care is still precarious, as a result of mutilating dental care, characterizing the scenario of social inequality among elderly people living in domicile (AU).

Providing Effective Dental Care for an Ageing Population.

BACKGROUND: Effective treatment produces improved outcomes from the patient and clinician perspectives. The focus of this article is effective dental care for ageing patients. This concept must be embraced through research, education and, finally, clinical care. RESEARCH: Older adults often carry a higher burden of health and socioeconomic issues that limit their participation in clinical trials. This leaves providers to extrapolate care decisions from research in other age groups. However, electronic health records allow researchers to converge extensive medical, pharmacologic, and dental data, thereby including older patients in research questions. EDUCATION: Dental and medical educators are tasked with teaching skills specific to ageing patients. This requires teaching and active use of concepts such as whole health and patient-centred outcomes. PROVISION OF CARE: For ageing patients, effective care is precision care (the right care to the right patient at the right time). Clinicians must be trained and then actively participate in the interdisciplinary approach to assure good oral health for all older patients.

Prevention of oral cancer through the implementation of a teledentistry platform for the elderly / Prevención del cáncer oral mediante la implementación de una plataforma de teleodontología para adultos mayores

Objective: To contribute to early diagnosis of lesions in older patients, including potentially malignant lesions or those suspected of oral cancer by support of a web-based teledentistry platform. Material and Methods:This report contains information from 27 patients with oral lesions out of a total of 135 who received mobile dental care. Specialists who participated in the study involved professionals from the disciplines of periodontics, temporomandibular disorders, oral implantology, oral radiology, oral pathology and geriatrics. Referral consultations were carried out synchronously or asynchronously. Clinical information sent to oral pathology specialists involved a medical history and a traditional description of the lesion which considered size, color, limits, symptomatology, type of surface, consistency, location, and evolution. This information was complemented with a three-dimensional representation of the lesion, simulating an extra/intra oral clinical examination including a marker tool that allows to perform the anatomical-referencing of oral lesions. Results:27 consultations from 26 patients were evaluated for oral pathology lesions. 12 lesions were diagnosed as reactive, 5 were infectious lesions, 4 of vascular etiology, 3 pigmented lesions (amalgam tattoo and smoking-related melanosis) and 3 potentially malignant lesions. The most frequent location was the tongue with 8 cases, followed by the gingiva and jugal mucosa, each with 5 cases. Four lesions required biopsy and histopathological report. Conclusion: A teledentistry platform including digital representations of oral lesions using different digital markers, also associated with a mobile system to provide dental care, constitutes an excellent tool to treat patients that present oral lesions with potential cancer risk.

Objetivo: Contribuir al diagnóstico precoz de lesiones en pacientes mayores, incluyendo lesiones potencialmente malignas o con sospecha de cáncer oral mediante el apoyo de una plataforma de teleodontología basada en la web.Material y Métodos: Este informe contiene información de 27 pacientes con lesiones orales de un total de 135 que recibieron atención odontológica móvil. Los especialistas que participaron en el estudio incluyeron profesionales de las disciplinas de periodoncia, trastornos temporomandibulares, implantología oral, radiología oral, patología oral y geriatría. Las interconsultas se realizaron de forma sincrónica o asincrónica. La información clínica enviada a los especialistas en patología oral involucró una historia clínica y una descripción tradicional de la lesión que consideró tamaño, color, límites, sintomatología, tipo de superficie, consistencia, localización y evolución. Esta información se complementó con una representación tridimensional de la lesión, simu-lando un examen clínico extra/intraoral incluyendo una herramienta marcadora que permite realizar la referenciación anatómica de las lesiones orales. Resultados: Se evaluaron 27 consultas de 26 pacientes por lesiones de patología bucal. Se diagnosticaron 12 lesiones como reactivas, 5 lesiones infecciosas, 4 de etiología vascular, 3 lesiones pigmentadas (tatuaje de amalgama y melanosis por tabaquismo) y 3 lesiones potencialmente malignas. La localización más frecuente fue lengua con 8 casos, seguida de encía y mucosa yugal con 5 casos cada una. Cuatro lesiones requirieron biopsia e informe histopatológico. Conclusión: Una plataforma de teleodontología que incluye representaciones digitales de lesiones orales utilizando diferentes marcadores digitales, también asociada a un sistema móvil para brindar atención odontológica, constituye una excelente herramienta para tratar pacientes que presentan lesiones orales con riesgo potencial de cáncer.

Salud bucal en ancianos del Hogar Provincial de Sancti Spíritus / Oral health in the elderly of the Provincial Home of Sancti Spíritus

RESUMEN Fundamento: Las personas de edad avanzada requieren atención estomatológica ajustada a su salud bucal. Objetivo: Describir la salud bucal de los ancianos pertenecientes al Hogar Provincial de Sancti Spíritus. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo transversal en el Hogar de ancianos provincial de Sancti Spíritus, entre diciembre de 2019 y agosto 2020. Se seleccionaron 72 ancianos, según criterios de inclusión. Se utilizaron métodos del nivel teórico, empírico y estadístico para estudiar las variables: Enfermedades bucales, factores de riesgo, higiene bucal, nivel de conocimientos sobre salud bucal y autopercepción de salud bucal. Resultados: En los ancianos predominó la enfermedad periodontal (29.4 %) y la disfunción masticatoria (28.6 %); los factores de riesgo que se observaron fueron la alimentación azucarada (12.8 %) y la diabetes mellitus (12.5 %), la higiene bucal deficiente (58.3 %), el nivel de conocimientos malo (51.4 %) y la autopercepción de salud bucal baja (54.2 %). Conclusiones: La salud bucal de los ancianos estudiados se caracterizó por presentar enfermedad periodontal y disfunción masticatoria en casi la tercera parte, con predominio de la alimentación azucarada y la diabetes mellitus como factores de riesgo y más de la mitad presentó higiene bucal deficiente, nivel de conocimientos malo y baja autopercepción de salud bucal.

ABSTRACT Background: Elderly people require dental care adjusted to their oral health. Objective: To describe the oral health of the elderly belonging to the Provincial Home of Sancti Spíritus. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was carried out in the Provincial Nursing Home of Sancti Spíritus, between December 2019 and August 2020. 72 elderly were selected, according to inclusion criteria. Theoretical, empirical and statistical level methods were used to study the variables: oral diseases, risk factors, oral hygiene, level of knowledge about oral health and self-perception of oral health. Results: In the elderly, periodontal disease (29.4 %) and masticatory dysfunction (28.6 %) predominated; the risk factors that were observed were sugary diet (12.8 %) and diabetes mellitus (12.5 %), poor oral hygiene (58.3%), poor level of knowledge (51.4 %) and low self-perception of oral health (54.2 %). Conclusion: The oral health of the elderly studied was characterized by presenting periodontal disease and masticatory dysfunction in almost a third of them, with a predominance of sugary diets and diabetes mellitus as risk factors, and more than half presented poor oral hygiene, level of poor knowledge and low self-perception of oral health.

Training and educational programs that support geriatric dental care in rural settings: A scoping review.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Access to dental care for older adults is challenging, especially for those living in rural areas. People living in rural areas are less likely to visit the dentist, have greater oral health needs, and face significant oral health disparities. Given the projected increase in the older adult population, the aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review (SR) to identify the current landscape of geriatric dental training in rural healthcare settings. METHODS: Four guiding concepts (i.e., dental workforce, education/training, rural setting, and older adult population) were searched in PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), Dental and Oral Sciences Source (EBSCO), and ERIC (EBSCO) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. EndNote and Covidence were used for de-duplication algorithms and title/abstract screening. RESULTS: Seventy-nine citations were identified for the final full-text review based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and ten articles were eligible for data extraction as applicable to the research question. Three themes emerged from the review: geriatric dentistry inclusion within dental school curricula, clinical training at rural/remote locations, and improving geriatric oral health knowledge through interprofessional training. CONCLUSION: This SR highlights the limited number of currently trained geriatric dentists, as well as, the paucity of dental programs/curricula offered to produce competent dental geriatricians with an advanced skill set for practicing in rural settings. Our review indicates the need to expand the dental workforce, curricula, and training to better position dentists to serve the older and underserved population in rural and remote areas.

Undergraduate Dental Education in Gerodontology in Germany between 2004 and 2019-A case for compulsory teaching?

INTRODUCTION: The study surveys the present state of undergraduate dental education in gerodontology in Germany and highlights changes between 2004 and 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2019, questionnaires were emailed to the department heads of all German dental schools. Data were analysed descriptively and compared to existing data from 2004, 2009 and 2014. RESULTS: Thirty-nine (86.7%) out of forty-five responding department heads stated to teach aspects of gerodontology in traditional core subject lecture series. Overall, 15 (55.6%) out of 27 responding dental university schools are offering special education in gerodontology (dedicated lecture series and/or practical training). A stronger focus on non-dental topics has been observed over the years. DISCUSSION: The 15-year observation period in Germany shows that teaching gerodontology should be mandatory. There is a lack of specialists in gerodontology at the dental schools, although specialisation has been possible for many years in the German professional association. Students should be sure that, as in other subjects, they are well trained for the very heterogeneous patient group of seniors. The financial and personnel prerequisites for the universities need to be established. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of gerodontology in the national syllabus is a decisive factor for the integration of the subject into undergraduate courses. The recommendations of the European College of Gerodontology (2009) and of the German Association of Gerodontology (DGAZ) regarding didactical and practical teaching should be implemented in the respective compulsory syllabus to prepare current undergraduate dental students for the demographic challenges of tomorrow.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the University of British Columbia Geriatric Dentistry Program: Clinical education and service.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with significant morbidity and mortality in older adults, particularly those in long-term care (LTC). Access to oral health services was limited during the pandemic due to public health restrictions. The aim of this paper was to describe the impact of the pandemic on the clinical education and service of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Geriatric Dentistry Program (GDP), which provides care to LTC residents. METHODS: Data were collected from UBC GDP AxiUm dental software records, including number of dental appointments in 2019 and 2020. Data on revenue in 2019 and 2020 based on clinical production were collected through financial summary reports. Data on the number of educational rotations were collected from summary reports from scheduling software. RESULTS: In 2020, significant reductions in clinical service, revenue, and productivity were observed in the UBC GDP relative to 2019. The number of GDP appointments for June-December 2020 was lower by 68%. The clinical productivity reduced by 67% for the same period. Expenses were slightly reduced. The overall number of LTC clinical rotations for students were only slightly lower for undergraduate students in 2020 than in 2019, and it increased for graduate students. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health restrictions had a negative impact on the clinical service and productivity of the UBC GDP in 2020 relative to 2019. However, clinical educational rotations to LTC were slightly increased in 2020 relative to 2019. Dental care for LTC residents can be provided if rigorous administrative controls, engineering controls and personal protective equipment are employed.

Proposal for a Conceptual Framework for the Development of Geriatric Dentistry.

Demographic changes with an increasingly higher proportion of older adults worldwide and an epidemiologic transition resulting in more teeth retained and higher demand and expectations set up new scenarios for the oral health of the older population. Thus, geriatric dentistry must be reconfigured, transitioning from the traditional focus on prosthesis to a more holistic discipline, actively incorporating geriatric and gerontologic aspects. We describe some situations that provide the rationale for a new conceptual framework for the advancement of geriatric dentistry as a clinical specialty. On the basis of scientific evidence and our academic experience, we propose 4 concepts that should steer the discipline during the following years and become its structural pillars: minimal intervention dentistry, oral functionality, patient-centered care, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Since data and evidence are limited, a special focus on poor and developing countries is incorporated. Adjusting clinical guidelines and public health policies around these concepts will increase access to oral care for older people, including those with physical or social barriers, and will ensure better oral health-related quality of life and well-being. These concepts have deep consequences in the education and training of new dentists and specialists, at the public and private levels.

Salud bucal en ancianos del Hogar Provincial de Sancti Spíritus / Oral health in the elderly of the Provincial Home of Sancti Spíritus

Fundamento: Las personas de edad avanzada requieren atención estomatológica ajustada a su salud bucal.Objetivo: Describir la salud bucal de los ancianos pertenecientes al Hogar Provincial de Sancti Spíritus.Metodología: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo transversal en el Hogar de ancianos provincial deSancti Spíritus, entre diciembre de 2019 y agosto 2020. Se seleccionaron 72 ancianos, según criterios deinclusión. Se utilizaron métodos del nivel teórico, empírico y estadístico para estudiar las variables:Enfermedades bucales, factores de riesgo, higiene bucal, nivel de conocimientos sobre salud bucal yautopercepción de salud bucal.Resultados: En los ancianos predominó la enfermedad periodontal (29.4 %) y la disfunción masticatoria (28.6%); los factores de riesgo que se observaron fueron la alimentación azucarada (12.8 %) y la diabetes mellitus(12.5 %), la higiene bucal deficiente (58.3 %), el nivel de conocimientos malo (51.4 %) y la autopercepción desalud bucal baja (54.2 %).Conclusiones: La salud bucal de los ancianos estudiados se caracterizó por presentar enfermedad periodontaly disfunción masticatoria en casi la tercera parte, con predominio de la alimentación azucarada y la diabetesmellitus como factores de riesgo y más de la mitad presentó higiene bucal deficiente, nivel de conocimientosmalo y baja autopercepción de salud bucal [AU]

COVID-19 e atenção a pessoas com deficiência e grupos especiais na clínica-escola de Odontologia / COVID-19 and assistance to people with disabilities and special groups in dental school clinic

O presente artigo tem como finalidade abordar orientações e sugestões para o atendimento odontológico de pacientes com necessidades especiais(pessoas com deficiência)e idosos nas clínicas de graduação, considerando as implicações daCOVID-19.A partir da publicação de orientações nacionais e internacionais de biossegurança, cuidados em saúde bucal e condutas odontológicas, foram elaboradasdiretrizespara esta abordagem clínica.Espera-se a disseminação do conhecimento, informações e adaptações necessárias no ensino para uma melhor assistência e contribuição educacional aos graduandos, além da realização das atividades práticas de maneira segura no ambiente universitário (AU).

The aim of the currentarticle is toaddress the guidelines and suggestions for dental care of patients with special needs (people with disabilities) and elderly in undergraduate dental clinicsbytaking into account the impacts caused bythe COVID-19 pandemic. Guidelines for the Special Care Dentistry clinical approach were developed based on the publication of national and international guidelines on biosafety, oral health care,and dental procedures. Knowledgeandinformationpromotion,and the necessary adaptations in teaching areexpected to allowbetter assistance and educational contribution to undergraduate students, in addition to performingpractical activities ina safer wayin collegeenvironment (AU).

Comprehensive evaluation of knowledge and perceptions regarding geriatric dentistry among Saudi Arabian dental students.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of Arabian dental students on geriatric dentistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a total of 100 participants belonging to Group I (25 each from third- and fourth-year students) and Group II (50 fifth-year students and interns ). All participants had completed a three-part questionnaire related to geriatric dentistry: Part I (knowledge), Part II (cognitive evaluation), and Part III (awareness and attitude of psychosocial and health problems). Comparisons were made between the groups, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software. RESULTS: The responses on the Part I were not statistically significant among the groups (P > 0.05). The knowledge mean scores comparison showed an evident significant relationship among the groups (P < 0.05). Overall the Group II participants achieved the highest scores for all the Parts (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The students belong to Group II, and the interns achieved higher scores than the Group I students. Dental students and interns in Saudi Arabia lack positive approaches in providing primary health care to geriatric individuals despite a rapidly growing geriatric population.