(PO-196) Training and Educational Programs Supporting Rural Geriatric Dental Care

Author: Tejasvita Chandel, BDS, MHA, MMSc – Post-graduate Dental Resident, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Author: Steffany Chamut, D.D.S. – Faculty, Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Submitter: Tejasvita Chandel, BDS, MHA, MMSc – Post-graduate Dental Resident, Harvard School of Dental Medicine

OBJECTIVES
Access to dental care for older adults is challenging, especially for those living in rural areas. People living in rural areas are less likely to visit the dentist, have greater oral health needs, and face significant oral health disparities. Given the projected increase in the older adult population, this study aimed to conduct a scoping review to identify the current landscape of geriatric dental training in rural healthcare settings.

Methods:
A mixed-methods Systematic Review scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses ( PRISMA) statement was employed to identify training programs, models, evidence-based best practices, curriculum, and tools that pertain to geriatric dental care education, in general, and specifically rural healthcare settings.

RESULTS
Three themes emerged from the review: geriatric dentistry inclusion within dental school curricula, clinical training at rural/remote locations, and improving geriatric oral health knowledge through interprofessional training. This scoping review highlights the limited number of currently trained geriatric dentists, as well as, the paucity of dental programs/curricula offered to produce competent dental geriatricians with an advanced skill set for practicing in rural settings.

CONCLUSION
Given the projected increase in the older adult population, our review indicates the need to expand the dental workforce curricula and training to better position dentists to serve the older and underserved population in rural and remote areas.