Trends in predoctoral education in geriatric dentistry

Abstract
Historically, education in geriatric dentistry has been limited in both quantity and quality. More recently, a number of educational initiatives have been developed in response to the growing number of older adults and their changing oral health status and dental treatment needs. A survey of U.S. and Canadian dental schools examined curriculum trends and assessed the effectiveness of educational initiatives and the value of AADS/AoA geriatric dental curricular materials. All schools responded. Compared to previous reports, more schools had geriatric didactic course(s), clinical rotations, and faculty with geriatric dental training. Fifty‐eight percent of dental schools support geriatric dentistry in their budgets. The primary barriers to program expansion continue to be the lack of trained faculty members, a crowded curriculum, and fiscal concerns.