Geriatric dentistry in the predoctoral curriculum.

A survey was conducted among U.S. dental schools to determine the status of geriatric dentistry in the curriculum. Since a comparable, independent study was done in 1979, there has been significant growth in formalized didactic courses and less reliance on incorporating geriatric content as lectures or other components of existing courses. The growth in specialized courses was accompanied by an increased tendency to supplement the clinical topics with others relating to social and behavioral aspects of treating geriatric patients.