Dental Students' Attitudes Toward Older Patients: The Role of Education, Clinical Experience, and Personal Relationships

BACKGROUND: Population ageing creates increasing demands for dental care for older adults, requiring clinicians to address complex functional, cognitive and systemic conditions. Understanding the factors that shape dental students' attitudes toward this population is essential for improving geriatric dental education. AIM: This study aimed to assess whether dental students' attitudes toward older patients are associated with clinical experience, educational exposure and personal relationships with older individuals. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 115 final-year dental students. Demographic characteristics, clinical experience, participation in gerodontology education, self-assessed preparedness, stereotypical perceptions of older adults and personal relationships with older individuals were assessed. Chi-square tests with Cramér's V were used for bivariate analysis. Multivariable logistic regression identified independent predictors of stereotypical perception of older adults. RESULTS: Most respondents were female (73.0%) and reported frequent clinical contact with older patients (87.8%). Almost all (94.8%) had participated in gerodontology education. Stereotypical perceptions of older adults as physically or cognitively limited were reported by 65.8% of respondents. Bivariate analyses revealed no significant association between stereotypical perception and clinical experience, educational exposure or personal relationship with older individuals. In multivariable logistic regression, male sex was the only significant predictor (OR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.05-6.45, p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Dental students' attitudes toward older patients appear to be largely independent of clinical experience, education and personal relationships. Greater empathy among female students may play a more influential role than experiential or educational factors. Targeted educational strategies explicitly addressing age-related stereotypes are warranted.