Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 29;10(10):183.
doi: 10.3390/dj10100183.

Awareness and Attitudes of Dental Students toward Older Adults in Indonesia

Anton Rahardjo  1 , Fakhira Hanna Safira Firdaus  1 , Peter Andreas  1 , Yuniardini Septorini Wimardhani  2 , Diah Ayu Maharani  1
Affiliations

Awareness and Attitudes of Dental Students toward Older Adults in Indonesia

Anton Rahardjo et al. Dent J (Basel). .

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to analyse the awareness and attitudes of dental students (DS) toward older adults (OAs) in Indonesia. Compromised oral health (OH) among OAs is a significant public health problem that is a global health burden. Furthermore, appropriate education can provide DS with information about strategic and efficient treatments for OAs. An online invitation was provided to every dental student in Indonesia in the third to sixth year of study to answer a web-based questionnaire as a part of a survey on awareness and attitudes (14 questions) towards OAs. From 1288 valid forms submitted, it was evident that most students (87%) expressed a positive attitude toward OAs. Female students showed a more positive attitude compared to males, with an odds ratio of 1.539 (p = 0.036), and students who had a connection to an older adult demonstrated a more positive attitude than those who did not (OR = 2.076; p < 0.001). The majority of the DS (98%) were conscious of the importance of geriatrics in dentistry, with female students showing more awareness than their male counterparts (OR = 2.553; p = 0.033). Positive awareness and attitudes must be accompanied by knowledge so that DS can offer appropriate and effective oral care to geriatric patients.

Keywords: attitudes; awareness; dental students; older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

    1. International Council on Management of Population Programmes . Ageing Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2017. pp. 2–112.
    1. Natl Inst Heal . Global Health and Aging. World Health Organization; Geneva, Switzerland: 2011. p. 11.
    1. Tonetti M.S., Bottenberg P., Conrads G., Eickholz P., Heasman P., Huysmans M., López R., Madianos P., Müller F., Needleman I., et al. Dental caries and periodontal diseases in the ageing population: Call to action to protect and enhance oral health and well-being as an essential component of healthy ageing—Consensus report of group 4 of the joint EFP/ORCA workshop on the boundaries between caries and periodontal diseases. J. Clin. Periodontol. 2017;44((Suppl. S18)):S135–S144. doi: 10.1111/jcpe.12681. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Panchbhai A.S. Oral health care needs in the dependant elderly in India. Indian J. Palliat. Care. 2012;18:19–26. doi: 10.4103/0973-1075.97344. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Slack-Smith L., Lange A., Paley G., O’Grady M., French D., Short L. Oral health and access to dental care: A qualitative investigation among older people in the community. Gerodontology. 2010;27:104–113. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2009.00320.x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources