Abstract
The aging population in the world constitutes one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century across social sectors; dental education is no exception. This review explored the status of geriatric dentistry teaching in Cuba and contrasted it with examples from international curricula and programs. Google Scholar, PubMed, Wiley, and Scielo databases were used to search for articles that address geriatric dentistry topics, focusing on undergraduate curricular issues and the management of postgraduate specialization. The findings highlight the need to update curricula and programs for dentistry studies in Cuba to improve the quality of dental care for the aging population. The evolution of training future Cuban graduates aims to meet the healthcare needs of older adults while preserving their quality of life. Additionally, the incorporation of new information and communication technologies has been observed during this process.
TopIntroduction
The aging population in the world constitutes one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century across social sectors; dental education is no exception. Chávez–Reátegui et al. (2014) defined geriatric dentistry as dental care provided to individuals over the age of 60 as well as adults of any age whose overall health condition is significantly influenced by degenerative processes, diseases and certain health conditions that are usually associated with older adults.
Many countries, Kossioni et al. (2017), Marchini et al. (2018), Xavier et al. (2020) and Shigli et al. (2020) have added geriatric dentistry to dental education programs. Fernández et al. (2019) indicated that this branch of dentistry arose in the United States in the 1960s, promoted by dentists focused on oral health care from a geriatric approach.
In most countries, however, geriatric dentistry is recognized as a form of postgraduate education, master's degree or a diploma, but not as a specialty. According to Tahani et al. (2019) and Jiang et al. (2021), Brazil was the first country to recognize geriatric dentistry as a dental specialty in 2001. Martínez-Asanza et al. (2020a) pointed out that in Cuba geriatric dentistry is not considered a dental specialty but rather a master's degree. The area is included within the dental education plan as a subtheme in the fourth-year program of the Comprehensive Family Care subject (Dirección Nacional de Estomatología, 2020).
According to the Cuba Health Statistic Yearbook in its 2023 edition, at the end of 2022, 22.3% of the Cuban population was 60 years older (Cuba, Ministerio de Salud Pública, 2022). Menéndez–Jiménez (2020) estimated that this group will reach more than 30% of the total population by 2030. This would make Cuba into one of the oldest countries in Latin America. This is a situation that requires improving performance: in line with the third and fourth work objectives of the United Nations (UN) in its 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL, 2018), health professionals’ training must be planned for the present and future needs of the health systems. Martínez-Asanza et al. (2020a) stated that, faced with the social phenomenon of exponential growth of the aged population, health systems must address training shifts among professionals to improve enhanced access and good quality dental care services for this age group. In the Cuban National Health System, geriatric patients constitute a prioritized group.
The aim of the present literature review was to present an update on the state of geriatric dentistry teaching in Cuban curricula and programs.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Gerontology: The multidisciplinary study of all aspects of aging, including health, biological, sociological, economic, behavioral, and environmental.
Geriatrics: The branch of medicine specializing in the health care and treatment of older persons. It is defined by the World Health Organization as the branch of medicine concerned with the health care of older adults in all aspects: preventive, clinical, remedial, rehabilitative, and continuous surveillance.
Older Adults: An older person is defined by the United Nations as a person who is over 60 years of age. However, families and communities often use other sociocultural referents to define age, including family status (grandparents), physical appearance, or age-related health conditions.
Geriatric Dentistry: Oral health care for individuals 60+ years of age, sometimes including adults of any age whose health conditions are significantly influenced by degenerative processes and diseases that are usually associated with older adults.
Aging: The process of development over life, which involves biological, psychological changes and attitudes toward family and social life.
Gerodontology: A specialized area of dentistry incorporating diagnosis, management, and treatment of dental conditions in older adults. These consider physiological and pathological age changes, disease and medication-related aspects, and problems associated with the delivery of dental care.
Biopsychosocial Approach: Systematically considers biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in understanding health, illness, and health care delivery.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT): They are defined as a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to broadcast, store, create, share or exchange information. These technological tools and resources include computers, the Internet (websites, blogs and emails), live broadcasting technologies (radio, television and webcasting), recorder broadcasting technologies (podcasting, audio and video players, and storage devices) and telephony (fixed or mobile, satellite, video-conferencing, etc.).