Effect of Clinical Rotations in Domiciliary Dental Care on Dental Students' Attitudes, Empathy, and Perceptions Towards Institutionalized Older Adults in Zurich in Switzerland.

内容摘要

This study evaluated the impact of structured clinical rotations in domiciliary dental care (DDC) on undergraduate dental students' attitudes, empathy, and perceptions toward institutionalized older adults in Zurich, Switzerland. Eighty-one dental students (mean age: 28.1 ± 5.9) participated in one to four DDC rotations within institutional care settings. Pre- and post-rotation assessments used four validated instruments: the UCLA Geriatric Attitude Scale (GAS-14), Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS), Ageing Semantic Differential Scale (ASDS), and Modified Maxwell-Sullivan Attitude Scale (M-MSAS). Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests and Bonferroni-adjusted comparisons (α = 0.05). Students with one rotation had significantly higher GAS-14 scores (3.49 ± 0.44) than those with two (3.19 ± 0.38, p = 0.001). Empathy (M-MSAS) increased with more exposure, peaking at four visits (11.05 ± 1.18, p = 0.021). ASDS scores indicated more negative perceptions after two visits (132.20 ± 12.87) compared to one (122.59 ± 15.26, p = 0.009). No significant change in dementia-related knowledge was found (p = 0.251). Structured clinical rotations significantly enhanced dental students' attitudes, empathy, and perceptions toward elderly care, highlighting variations based on the frequency of clinical exposure.