What influences dental students’ attitudes regarding the treatment of older adults? A scoping review

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the literature to evaluate dental students’ attitudes regarding the treatment of older adults. Methods A scoping review was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses/PRISMA guidelines to identify articles from four electronic databases: MEDLINE via the PubMed interface, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and AgeLine. Gray literature searches were also performed in Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses‐Health and Medicine. Results Eleven articles were assessed. The majority (72, 72%) were published between 2011 and 2020, evidencing various contexts of dental students, such as different countries and cultures, and levels of education. The most commonly used tool/instrument to survey dental students’ attitudes was the Aging Semantic Differential Scale. Student age, race, and marital status did not seem to interfere with dental students’ attitudes regarding the treatment of older adults. Conclusions Dental students tend to have a positive attitude toward older people. In this context, female students, students who interact with older people, and clinical students have more positive attitudes than male and nonclinical students.