What is Being Taught to Canadian Undergraduate Dental Students About the Oral Health of Long-Term Care Residents?

Introduction: Residents of long-term care (LTC) facilities face many oral health challenges, which are often complicated by their underlying medical conditions, use of medications and limited access to oral health care.

Objective: To determine to what extent accredited university-based dental and dental hygiene programs in Canada prepare students in the areas of geriatric oral health and oral health of LTC residents.

Methods: Accredited dental and dental hygiene programs across Canada were assessed for the degree of education and training that is presented to students on the oral health of LTC residents. A survey questionnaire, emailed to programs, was used to gather descriptive statistics (frequencies, means and standard deviations), and bivariate analysis (χ2 and t tests) was completed. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Representatives of all 4 dental hygiene and 9 out of 10 dental schools responded. All four dental hygiene and seven dental programs (77.8%, 7/9) stated that geriatric oral health is an integral part of their curriculum. The majority (91.6% [11/12], 4 dental hygiene and 7 of 9 dental schools) reported that their program educates students about medically, physically and cognitively compromised geriatric patients. Eight programs (3 dental hygiene and 5 dental schools), stated that they provide clinical training opportunities with LTC residents. However, some programs reported certain barriers preventing them from providing such clinical training opportunities.

Conclusion: Oral health educational institutions must ensure that curricula are current and evidence-based to reflect the overall oral health needs of today's aging population.