A model for a geriatric teaching program and its impact on self-rated and tested competencies of undergraduate dental students.

INTRODUCTION In the light of the growing aging population, it is important that future dentists be taught geriatric competencies to assure good dental care and treatment addressing the special needs of older patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS We developed and evaluated a geriatric teaching program among final year undergraduate dental students (n=30) at the University of Bern, Switzerland. The geriatric teaching program was based on the European undergraduate curriculum in geriatric medicine for medical students covering the following eight geriatric domains that were considered relevant to dental care: Analgesics, cognitive impairment, decision-making capacity, gait and balance disorder, hearing impairment, malnutrition, polypharmacy, and vision impairment. Using a pre/post design, we administered a structured questionnaire including standardised questions on self-rated and tested competencies. Both assessments scores were standardised to a maximum score of 100 points. Data were evaluated by comparison of pre-test and post-test mean scores. RESULTS The geriatric teaching program proved to be feasible covering eight geriatric domains based on a case-based didactic approach in totally eight 45-minute lessons. Both self-rated and tested competencies of dental students increased in all eight domains in the course of the geriatric teaching program. After the geriatric teaching program both mean self-rated competency scores (67.9 vs. 49.6, p <0.001) and mean tested competency scores (78.7 vs. 56.7 points, p<0.001) significantly improved compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS Integrating a consolidated refined geriatric teaching program is a potentially feasible and effective method for dental undergraduate students, and is expected to have an impact on better dental care of older patients.