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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Aging".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 6120

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Giorgio Rappelli

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Guest Editor

Department of Clinical Specialistic and Dental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60126 Ancona, Italy
Interests: gerodontology; masticatory performance; prosthetic dentistry; oral health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The worldwide population over 65 years will nearly double in the next few decades. Average life expectancy increment implies opportunities for families and societies, but all those chances are strongly and heavily connected to health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced and defined the term “healthy ageing” as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age.

In a period in which the novel coronavirus has spread worldwide, severely affecting the elderly and communities, effective efforts are crucial in order to promote healthy ageing. Further knowledge regarding oral health status and oral and general health-related factors affecting both autonomous elderly people and those attending nursing homes or in-home assistance is needed. Moreover, new methods aimed to provide health and to reduce inequalities in dental care access are required.

Experts forecast a severe crisis associated with the coronavirus pandemic, but every crisis opens up opportunities and challenges that must be seized and accepted. Submissions in every field of dental research on Gerodontology will be welcome and fully considered. In particular, the aim of this Special Issue is to provide new knowledge and to share new feasible approaches in the promotion of oral and general health in the elderly.

Prof. Dr. Giorgio Rappelli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

gerodontology
teledentistry
COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2
nutritional factors
nursing homes
in-home care
public dentistry
oral health
oral rehabilitation
oral prevention

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2034 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Student Perceptions of Age and Ageing—An Evaluation of Swiss Dental Students Receiving Education in Gerodontology

by Ina Nitschke, Ulf Gegner, Werner Hopfenmüller, Bernhard A. J. Sobotta and Julia Jockusch

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7480; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19127480 - 18 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1458

Abstract

Society is ageing and the higher number of senior citizens in the total population is a challenge for society and often perceived as a burden. Negative images of old age can lead to ageism and poorer healthcare for older people. The younger generation will have to master these demographic challenges. Therefore, their attitude towards and their perception of the older generation has to be monitored. The aim of this study is to present the images of ageing held by dental students who received education in gerodontology and to assess possible changes between different generations of students over time and separated by gender. An annual, anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted among dental students at the end of the 10th semester each year between 2008 and 2021. The questionnaire surveyed personal attitudes towards ageing, the assessment of seniors, and personal experience with seniors (images of ageing, “Aging Semantic Differential”). In addition to confirming Friedan’s phenomenon regarding the assessment of age limits, the present study was able to demonstrate a positive image of ageing in dental students, which has remained almost constant over the years. An education in gerodontology might positively influence student perceptions of age and aging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthy Ageing)

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12 pages, 7994 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study on Oral Health and Nutritional Status of Institutionalized Older Adults: A Focus on Sarcopenia

by Luca Aquilanti, Sonila Alia, Sofia Pugnaloni, Lorenzo Scalise, Arianna Vignini and Giorgio Rappelli

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 13232; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182413232 - 15 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2263

Abstract

The global population aged over 60 will double by 2050. This pilot cross-sectional study aims at evaluating nutritional and oral health status and the prevalence of sarcopenia in older adults living in an Italian residential aged care facility. Thirty-two adults aged ≥65 years were included. Individual sociodemographic data and nutritional and oral health data were collected. For sarcopenia diagnosis, muscle mass, physical performance, muscle strength and anthropometric parameters were recorded. Participants underwent a nutritional screening and a dental examination. Mini Nutritional Assessment and masticatory mixing ability test were performed. The results showed that men recorded a hand strength significantly higher than that of women, 25.5 ± 7.2 Kg vs. 12.8 ± 5.9 Kg (p < 0.01), respectively. Gait speed test showed that only 20.8% of the participants had a speed of more than 0.8 m/s. A strong negative correlation between masticatory performance and the number of missing teeth was detected (r = −0.84, 95% C.I. [−0.92; −0.69], p < 0.01). Overall, a high percentage of institutionalized older adults were diagnosed as being sarcopenic. Poor oral health in older adults is a major general health problem as it may restrict both food selection and nutrient intake, representing a risk factor for sarcopenia, although longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this relationship. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthy Ageing)

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9 pages, 348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perception of Old Age in German Undergraduate Dental Students—A Comparison of Two Cohorts 10 Years Apart

by Sophia Weber, Ina Nitschke, Sebastian Hahnel and Angelika Rauch

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(6), 3279; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18063279 - 22 Mar 2021

Viewed by 1795

Abstract

Previous studies revealed that students’ willingness to provide dental services for older patients is mainly influenced by their individual perception of elders rather than their knowledge about old age. The aim of this study was to estimate students’ perception of old and young age as well as their hopes and fears associated with old age and to compare two cohorts that participated in the study 10 years apart. Data were obtained from a questionnaire completed by two cohorts of undergraduate dental students from 2006 to 2008 (T1, n = 207) and 2016 to 2018 (T2, n = 135). Participants were asked to define the ages that they consider a man or woman to be old and young. Moreover, they had to specify their fears and hopes associated with old age. Reported thresholds for old age differed significantly between T1 and T2. In contrast to T1 students, T2 students defined a person to be old at a higher age and barely differentiated between the old ages of men and women. Furthermore, T2 students presented more fears related to aging than T1 students, e.g., psychological problems or loss of independence. The perception of age appears to be a multifactorial process and significantly changed between students of T1 and T2. Fears of dental students regarding old age should be addressed in, e.g., gerodontological curricula, to foster positive experiences in interaction with older people and highlight the important and rewarding aspects of gerodontology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Healthy Ageing)

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