Senior dental student's attitudes toward older adults and knowledge of geriatric dental care in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

ABSTRACT

Dental students should have knowledge of geriatric dental care and positive attitudes toward elderly patients. This study assessed senior dental students' knowledge of geriatric dental care and their attitude towards elderly patients. A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on volunteer senior students in all dental schools (n = 512) in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The completed questionnaires (n = 464) were analysed. The mean scores of respondents' knowledge and attitudes were 12.7 (SD 2.9) and 48 (SD 6.1) respectively. Female and male students' knowledge did not differ significantly but their attitudes score was different. The majority of dental students had low to moderate levels of knowledge of geriatric dental care and attitudes toward elderly people; therefore, an intervention programme is indicated. We conducted the study to use the findings to incorporate geriatric dental care programmes into dental school curricula in the Islamic Republic of Iran.