According to the data the World Health Organization (WHO) provides, the population has been aging more rapidly than in the past, and it has been reported that the number of people over the age of 60 exceeds the number of children under the age of 5. This demographic change has forced countries to plan their health systems with the aging population in mind. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to see and evaluate the attitudes of dentists and trainee dentists towards communication with patients they describe as "elderly" during their examination and treatment. This study applied a 25-item questionnaire on dentist-geriatric patient communication to 168 trainee dentists and 73 dentists in our faculty, including 4th and 5th-year students, residents, and faculty members. Sixteen items, the first 7 of which are "basic", include questions that examine the methods recommended by the American Medical Association in physician-patient communication and whether they find these methods effective. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 23.0, and a p-value of 0.05 is used as the cutoff for significance. Dentists routinely use an average of 4.6 of the 16 methods and 2.5 of the seven basic methods. While the most frequently used methods were “speaking slowly” and "using a simple language", the least was "using videos". Health literacy awareness and outcome expectancy were associated with the number of methods used. The number of routine use of the methods is quite low among dentists and trainee dentists. It has been observed that communication methods that would be effective in relationships with geriatric patients with low health literacy skills are not routinely used. It has been concluded that the communication methods that can be used effectively for communication with geriatric patients should be embedded into the dental curriculum.

BackgroundPyogenic granulomas (PGs) are gingival enlargements which cause esthetic and functional problems that hinder chewing and maintaining oral hygiene. In this series consisting of six cases, we report the rehabilitation of PG using partly de‐epithelialized gingival grafts.MethodsFollowing documentation of clinical measurements, a concurrent treatment plan of excision and reconstruction with partly de‐epithelialized gingival grafts were followed for all the cases. Six months following procedures, clinical parameters were measured again and a short patient‐reported outcome measures consisting of three questions were applied.ResultsIn histological evaluations, PG features were observed. In the fourth postoperative week, interdental papilla and attached gingiva were restored. Six months follow‐up showed reduction in plaque and gingival indices, clinical attachment loss, and mobility. Mean keratinized tissue height was increased from 2.58 ± 2.20 to 6.66 ± 1.66 in the 6th month of operation. Oldest case was stable after 12 months of follow‐up and no infection was found at grafting sites. Papillary coverage was achieved.ConclusionIf the PG is not completely removed due to esthetic reservations, a recurrence may occur. Within our limitations, we can suggest that the immediate esthetic rehabilitation with partly de‐epithelialized gingival graft presents a compatible approach in the treatment of mucogingival defects after aggressive excision of PG.