Gerodontology

The Rules of Clinical Activities in Geriatric Dentistry

1. Participation in clinical activities at the Department of Geriatric Dentistry is obligatory. 
2. The course in Geriatric Dentistry covers various areas of clinical dentistry. 
3. Each class consists of an introductory talk on clinical issues and a period of practical activities during which the students participate in the treatment of patients. 
4. A student absent from a class in clinical activities has to attend another one with the same subject of the introductory talk at a different time. 
5. The students must be familiar with the theoretical basics of clinical procedures to be performed in their patients.
6. The students are expected to behave respectfully to the patients and to take good care of the clinical equipment. 
7. The dress code for the students during clinical activities requires a knee-length white lab coat or a white jacket and trousers. 
8. Each patient is examined and treated by two supervised students. 
9. The students also practice some of the procedures performed by the dental nurse. 
10. The students are responsible for completing the medical records of their patients, which is verified by the supervising dentist. 
11. A credit in clinical activities is given to a student who has participated in all classes, and has passed a final written test covering the issues presented during lectures, introductory talks and practical activities in Geriatric Dentistry. 
12. A pass mark in the final test is scored when at least 70 percent of the questions have been answered correctly.

Practicals:

1. An introduction to practical exercises. The specificity of geriatric patients. The division according to Greppi classification. Clinical examination and interview of elderly patients.
2. Miodynamic dentures; indications, contraindications, advantages, disadvantages and differences from conventional prostheses. Clinical stages of prosthetic procedures during the preparation of miodynamic dentures.
3. The most common diseases of the mucous membrane in geriatric patients. Candidiasis. Diagnosis and treatment.
4. Xerostomia. Etiology, classification, xerostomia-related discomfort. The relationship between xerostomia and prosthetic  treatment.
5. The most common prosthetic stomatopathies. Etiology, clinical symptoms and prophylaxis. The relationship between prosthetic stomatopathies and the use of complete and partial removable dentures.
6. Allergies in the oral cavity. Clinical symptoms, allergenic factors, the treatment of geriatric patients. Allergic tests.
7. The influence of psychological and systemic factors on adaptation to removable prostheses.
8. The relining of dentures as a method of adapting existing removable prostheses. The hygiene of the oral cavity and dentures in elderly patients.
9. Combination syndrome, according to Kelly as a common anatomic-functional problem in prosthetic treatment.
10. Age-related changes and their implications for dental healthcare.
11. Tooth diseases in elderly patients and their management.
12. Periodontal diseases in geriatric patients and the possibilities of treatment.
13. Progeries. The challenges of premature aging.
14. Implant-prosthetic treatment for the elderly.
15. Credit test.

Required textbooks:

Budtz-Jorgensen Ejvind; Prosthodontics for Elderly - Diagnosis and Treatment. Quintessence Pub. Co. 1999