Ageism Toward Older Adults Patients Among Undergraduate Dental Students: A Multicenter Hermeneutic Study in Southern Brazil.

Purpose/objectives: To improve the understanding of how ageism directed at older adults' patients manifests among dental students and analyse how this prejudice might relate to dental education.

Method: A qualitative theoretical-methodological study with a hermeneutic research design based on the philosophy developed by Hans-Georg Gadamer. Data were collected from predoctoral dental students through semi-structured interviews. The final sample size (n = 16) was determined through theoretical saturation of the information. The data were then systematised and analysed using content analysis and interpreted by means of philosophical hermeneutics.

Results: Three main themes emerged from the analysis: Theme 1-Society, family and the university; stereotype as the core of ageism; Theme 2-Latent manifestation of prejudice inside and outside the university; complementary experiences; Theme 3-Different realities also reflect the opposite: empathy and respect.

Conclusions: Ageism is understood as a reflection of discriminatory experiences encountered both inside and outside the university, with stereotypes acting as the central axis for the latent manifestations of this prejudice. This improved understanding of ageism might help guide future pedagogic interventions to combat ageism among dental students.