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Purpose/aim: Improve content validity of the Ageism Scale for Dental Students (ASDS) and identify barriers to using the scale. Methods: Thematic analysis of transcripts of three purposively sampled focus groups of 1) geriatric dentistry specialists, 2) older adult dental patients, and 3) dental students. Results: Twenty‐five participants engaged in focus groups. No new concepts to define ageism were identified. Experts found the scale acceptable and appropriate, yet they raised specific potential revisions to scale questions. Commonly reported themes already addressed by ASDS included the importance of tailoring decision‐making to patient preference and not making assumptions about older adults' capacity or preferences for dental care. Barriers to identifying ageism or using the scale included experiential differences in interpreting scale items, cultural differences in attitudes towards older adults, and potential overlap with social determinants of health. Secondary findings include recommendations for older‐adult focused training for dental students to provide positive, concrete guidance on caring for older adults. Conclusion: There are opportunities to refine the Ageism Scale for Dental Students and to allow tailoring of the scale for specific national or cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: The oral problems of the older population are largely undertreated because of various barriers, including negative perceptions and ageist stereotypes, among care providers. The aim of this study was to record the perceptions of Greek dental students of treating older patients. Materials and methods: An anonymous written questionnaire including two open‐ended questions about the positive and negative issues when treating older patients was administered to clinical dental students. A content analysis was conducted to identify the main themes. Results: A total of 135 students responded to the questionnaire (response rate 88.23%). Five key themes were identified for the facilitating factors and six for the barriers/challenging factors. The facilitating factors of treating older people were the promotion of the patients' health and quality of life, the good interaction and communication with older patients, the dentist's intrinsic reward treating older people, the positive feedback from the patients and the improvement of professional dental competences when treating complex cases. The barriers included communication and cooperation problems, treatment challenges related to disease and disability, patients' negative beliefs about oral health, barriers to accessing dental care, complex and time‐consuming treatment plans, and communication and cooperation problems with the patients' carers. Conclusion: A range of facilitating and challenging factors influence dental students' perceptions of treating older patients. More research is necessary on the methods that will enhance their geriatric knowledge and skills, help them overcome the challenges they detected and improve their attitudes and behaviours towards treating older patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: The World Health Organization considers ageism an important barrier to age‐appropriate care for older adults. A new ageism scale for dental students (ASDS) has been validated in the United States, Brazil, Greece and Romania. The aim of this study was to validate a French version (ASDS‐Fr). Method and materials: The 27‐item ageism scale was translated from English into French, and its content validity was investigated using the content validity index. The translated version was completed by 180 dental students in the Dental School of Clermont‐Ferrand in France. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed and internal consistency reliability was calculated. Results: The final PCA model resulted in 10 items and three components that together accounted for 57.2% of the overall variance. The first component contained four items that point to a negative view of older adults; the second contained three items that appeared to reflect an absolving of responsibility for providing care to older adults; and the third contained three items that deal with gerodontology education. Conclusions: This preliminary validation of the ASDS‐Fr produced a new 10‐item scale with three components with acceptable validity and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The ageist attitudes among dental clinicians may result in inadequate treatment planning and reduce quality of life for older adults. This study aimed at performing a preliminary validation of an ageism scale for dental students (ASDS) in Serbia (ASDS‐Serb). Methods and Results: The 27‐item ASDS was translated from English into Serbian and completed by 129 dental students. Principal component analysis (PCA), Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity were estimated. PCA produced a 17‐item scale distributed into five factors that explain 64.24% of the total variance. All items showed high to moderate reliability (0.50–0.83). CFA indicates an acceptable model fit with significant standardized factor loadings ranging from 0.14–0.99. The first factor dealt with negative views of older adults' life and dental treatment, the second factor related to ethical values about older people, the third factor compared younger and older adults in dental care and the fourth factor related to difficulties in medical history taking. The fifth factor related to perceptions of oral health and treatment of older adults. Discriminant validity revealed significant differences related to the semester of studies, gender and having older people in the family. Conclusion: The preliminary validation of the ASDS‐Serb resulted in a 17‐item scale distributed into the five factors with acceptable validity and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Frailty is a geriatric syndrome in which multiple systems lose their physiological reserves resulting in increased vulnerability to stressors and risk of adverse health-related outcomes. There is an increasing number of studies discussing the association of oral health with frailty through several pathways. Objective The aim of this review was to describe the possible mechanisms linking oral health and frailty. Data Sources A narrative review was performed with literature search in PubMed, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect electronic databases. Reference lists from relevant studies and cited papers were also investigated. Study Selection The review included full papers of any study design, published in peer-reviewed journals in English until July 2021. Data Extraction Current literature indicates four possible mechanisms linking oral health and frailty. Data Synthesis The first mechanism refers to the nutritional pathway. It is reported that poor oral health negatively affects protein and vitamins intake. Malnutrition and decreased energy intake have a dominant role in frailty onset. Inflammation is another mechanism. Periodontal disease causes a systemic increase of pro-inflammatory biomarkers which in turn may lead to muscle strength deterioration. Furthermore, oral health can be related to frailty through neural mechanisms. Specifically, occlusion and proprioception from the periodontal ligament contribute to the control of body balance. Finally, the mechanisms include the psychological pathway, since poor oral health may lead to social isolation and depression which increase the risk of negative general health outcomes. More studies are necessary to clarify the previous associations and reveal any causative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim was the design, implementation, and evaluation of an oral health education program for nursing home caregivers. Methods and results: Fifty‐five formal caregivers working in the three units of a nursing home were allocated to either a control (n = 27) or an intervention group (n = 28). A knowledge and attitudes questionnaire about oral health was developed and completed by the caregivers. Then, an education program about oral heath in older people was applied to the intervention group, and the completion of the questionnaire was repeated by both the intervention and control groups. Two months after the intervention, the questionnaire was completed again by the intervention group. Within groups analyses revealed a statistically significant increase in knowledge and attitudes only in the intervention group after the implementation of the education program (P <.001). Between‐group analyses showed that the total knowledge and attitudes score in the intervention group were statistically significantly higher than in the control group (P <.001 and P =.02, respectively). In the intervention group, knowledge and attitudes were maintained in the measurement recorded 2 months later (P =.11 and P =.21, respectively). Conclusion: The education program was effective in improving the caregivers' knowledge and attitudes toward nursing home residents' oral health and maintaining them 2 months after implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To record the available current national and regional data on the oral health of community-dwelling (living in their own homes, not institutionalised) older people globally and discuss the future trends considering existing dangers and opportunities. Materials and Methods: A literature search on tooth loss, dental decay and periodontal disease in the elderly was performed using available databases and electronic sources. Results: The findings revealed that the updated national data are scarce in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa, Asia and South America, and direct comparisons are not always possible due to methodological variations. The available information may indicate that dental disease in older adults worldwide is more prevalent compared to younger age groups, with significant variation between countries and regions. Tooth loss is currently more common in the developed countries, while dental decay and periodontal disease are more widespread globally. There are important threats for further deterioration of the oral status among older adults in many developed and less developed areas due to existing sociodemographic and economic risk factors. Conclusion: National studies should be undertaken to record the specific oral problems of the elderly in each area. It is also necessary to develop gerodontology study programmes globally at the undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education levels which will enhance dentists' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards oral care in the older population, and will promote opportunities for further research and development of relevant policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this paper was to validate the Romanian version of an ageism scale for dental students. Materials and Methods: The initial 27‐item ageism scale was translated into Romanian and administered to 210 dental students in Craiova. The data were analysed using principal components analysis (PCA) with an orthogonal, Varimax rotation. The answers were then compared across several demographic variables using a combination of independent samples t tests and one‐way between‐subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Adequate factorability was confirmed with a Kaiser‐Meyer‐Olkin (KMO) of 0.676 and a Bartlett's Test of Sphericity yielding P < 0.001. PCA revealed a 10‐item scale distributed into three components that accounted for 58% of the overall variance. The first component contained 4 items related to the cost‐benefit of providing care to older patients (α = 0.80). The second contained 3 items that revolved around the perceptions about older people and their value in the society (α = 0.59). The third contained 3 items related to gerodontology training (α = 0.46). Discriminant validity showed differences in the first component based on whether a student had an older family member. Conclusions: The 10‐item, three components scale demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Oral health in older adults who live in nursing homes is generally poor, with high rates of mainly preventable oral conditions. Objective The aim of this review was to present an overview of the barriers to good oral health for older nursing home residents. Data sources Electronic databases were used (PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect). Reference lists from relevant studies and cited papers were also investigated. Study selection The review included reports from national surveys and full papers of any study design, systematic reviews and guidelines published in peer-reviewed journals in English published until February 2019. Data extraction The recorded barriers to good oral health were allocated to the main categories described in the socioecological model of health promotion. Data synthesis The identified barriers to oral health of nursing home residents were allocated into intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational and public health policy issues. The main intrapersonal barriers included the residents' physical and mental disease, resistance to care, poor oral health literacy and difficulties in accessing dental care. Interpersonal factors included inadequate knowledge and training of caregivers and health professionals on oral health and care for frail older people, as well as negative attitudes of caregivers and family members towards oral hygiene provision in nursing homes. Organizational factors included low priority of oral health in nursing homes, limitations in time and number of staff and limited collaboration with dental professionals. Ineffective oral health policies included lack of priority for oral health and unsupportive oral care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]