Geriatric Dentistry

Summer 2005

Illustration from Un mécanicien trop parfait by Honoré Daumier. (Image courtesy of National Library of Medicine.)

This course considers dental needs of the rapidly changing and ethnically diverse geriatric population. It covers a wide range of lecture topics, from Nutrition and Aging to Oral Cancer and Other Pathologic Lesions of the Geriatric Patient.

The dentist is a key member of the health delivery team. This didactic course teaches the student how to render comprehensive oral health care and teach prevention to a dynamic, diverse and rapidly growing elderly population. Since chronology does not always equal physiology, younger patients with significant medical, physical, mental disabilities and sensory deficits are eligible for treatment in Geriatric Dentistry. Students will learn the complexity of aging, patient management and the importance of dentistry in total patient care.

In the three clinic sessions, students evaluate their patients holistically, which includes medical history, nutritional assessment, medications, diagnostic radiographs, and prevention. A comprehensive treatment plan is developed; treatment is started and is to be completed in the general practice clinics.

• Cognitive Disorders
• Vitamin D Metabolism
• Calcium Homeostasis
• Nutrition and Exercise
• Calcium and Vitamin D Nutrition in the Elderly

  Syllabus

  Objectives

• Students will learn the complexity of aging, patient management and the importance of dentistry in total patient care.
• Work as part of a patient management team including the primary physician, medical specialists, and dental specialists.
• Work with an ethnically diverse population in the dental clinic as well as a variety of settings such as senior centers, assisted living facilities, religious institutions, adult day care, and subsidized housing.

  Calendar

  Session	Type	Title
  1	Lecture	Aging
  2	Lecture	Geriatric Dentistry: Teaching the Complexity of Aging
  3	Lecture	Stroke
  4	Lecture	Nutrition and Aging
  5	Lecture	Nutrition and Exercise
  6	Examination	Mid-Term Exam
  7	Lecture	Calcium and Vitamin D
  8	Lecture	Cognitive Disorders
  9	Lecture	Geriatric Rehabilitation
  10	Lecture	Geriatric Endodontics
  11	Lecture	Oral Cancer and Other Pathologic Lesions of the Geriatric Patient
  12	Lecture	Aging and Periodontal Disease
  13	Lecture	Course Review
  14	Examination	Final Exam