Evaluation of dental students' attitude to elderly patients based on demographic data: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Comprehensive curricular modifications in dental education are essential to address the healthcare needs of the growing geriatric population. In this context, incorporating attitudes of dental students towards this complex patient group into the design of educational programs is crucial for developing effective curricula. The aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of dental students towards elderly patients during their educational progress, which is a crucial period in the formation of dentists' approaches to patients and treatment, and to consider the influence of demographic data in this process.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a two-part questionnaire was administered to 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-year students at Marmara University, Faculty of Dentistry. The first part collected demographic data on age, gender, place of residence, presence of grandparents, and history of living with grandparents. The second part used the validated Ageism Scale for Dental Students (ASDS) with 5 items on a 6-point Likert scale. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for two- and multi-group comparisons, respectively, and the Spearman Correlation Test examined age-scale score relationships. A Type 1 error rate of 0.05 was applied.

RESULTS

A total of 305 students participated, 204 (66.9%) of whom were female. The distribution across the 3rd, 4th, and 5th years was 35.1%, 32.1%, and 32.8%, respectively. The median ASDS score was 3.2. No significant differences in ASDS scores were found concerning age (p = 0.925), gender (p = 0.631), year of study (p = 0.581), place of residence (p = 0.282), presence of grandparents (p = 0.199), or history of living with grandparents (p = 0.859).

CONCLUSION

Demographic factors did not significantly affect ASDS scores. Larger, translated, and validated studies in different regions of Türkiye are needed. However, the neutral attitudes observed among students suggest that the content of geriatrics in dentistry education should be strengthened in a way that promotes positive attitudes towards elderly patients.