Abstract
Objective: The aim is to evaluate the perspectives of dentists’ clinical approaches in terms of their knowledge and education regarding oral-systemic health relation of geriatric patients with a digital survey. Materials and Methods: The demographics, oral-systemic health-related lectures in participants' dentistry education, the level of awareness of the oral-systemic health relationship, and behaviors related to clinical applications were investigated on a digital platform with 49 multiple-choice questions. The results were analyzed with the SPSS 24.0 program. Results: Of a total of 410 dentists (206 women and 204 men), 23% have doctoral and/or specialty titles. While 93.1% of dentists had taken systemic health-related lectures, 21.3% of them rated these courses as “adequate” and 49.3% as weak. 72% of the participants received medical history only at the initial appointment, while 17.9% of them received it at each appointment. Dentists more often associate diabetes and cardiovascular diseases with periodontitis, compared to the development of dental caries. Dentists who think that they should work with physicians in the treatments of geriatric patients with systemic diseases refer more patients to physicians per year (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Dentists have found the lectures on the relationship between oral-systemic health of geriatric patients in dentistry education inadequate. Besides, there is a lack of information on the effects of systemic diseases on caries development, intra-oral findings, and knowledge on treatment approaches. Dentists believe that defining a curriculum that emphasizes interdisciplinary work and organizing scientific activities in partnership with medical associations will play an important role in establishing awareness of oral-systemic health. Keywords Dental education; Dental health survey; Geriatric dentistry; Interdisciplinary communication; Oral health.
Highlights
The World Health Organization, which defines ideal oral health as a state of freedom from caries, periodontal disease, pain, and discomfort, declared in 2018 that oral health is essential for the systemic health and quality of life of individuals [1]
120 different systemic conditions or diseases have been reported to have oral manifestations, and it has been shown that 90% of systemic diseases can be diagnosed by oral and dental examination [4]
While major changes are prominent in the oral cavities as age advances, the effects of systemic conditions may become more of a burden to the systemic health of geriatric patients so, it is crucial to indicate the symptoms at the earliest
Summary
The World Health Organization, which defines ideal oral health as a state of freedom from caries, periodontal disease, pain, and discomfort, declared in 2018 that oral health is essential for the systemic health and quality of life of individuals [1]. Due to the increased life expectancy every year, the population of elder people is arising coordinately. UN recently reported that by the year 2050, 1 in 11 patients will be over the age of 65 which is 1 in 6 in 2019 [2]. Dental care for the elder population has shifted primarily from denture care to more brushing, and flossing, to maintain the health of natural dentition. Studies have demonstrated that oral diseases affect the systemic health of elder patients and may even delay mortality [3]. As elder patients mostly carry one or more systemic diseases, having ideal oral health ensures more importance than in earlier adulthood. 120 different systemic conditions or diseases have been reported to have oral manifestations, and it has been shown that 90% of systemic diseases can be diagnosed by oral and dental examination [4]
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