{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:04:44Z","timestamp":1789535084990,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oral Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Accessing dental care for residents of Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) is challenging especially for conventional prosthodontic care. This burden is exacerbated by multi-level barriers spanning individual, professional, institutional, and health-system domains. Strengthening alignment between innovations in technology, dental education and service delivery is crucial in addressing the increasing oral health needs of the ageing population. This paper reports on dental students' experiences and perceptions of interdisciplinary aged care placements, incorporating mobile dentistry and exposure to digital denture workflows within RACFs.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional mixed-methods educational evaluation was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire completed by dental students who participated in RACF placements (2025\u20132026). The placements provided onsite dental care using portable dental equipment under the supervision of a Specialist in Special Needs Dentistry and a dental prosthetist. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using frequencies and percentages, and qualitative responses were analyzed inductively using thematic analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Students reported positive perceptions regarding interdisciplinary learning and collaboration, application of digital denture workflows and increased awareness of oral healthcare inequities among frail older adults. They also identified barriers associated with outreach oral healthcare delivery within RACFs, including patient frailty, cognitive impairment, communication difficulties, and logistical challenges associated with mobile dentistry and digital workflows.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This preliminary evaluation suggests interdisciplinary RACF placements integrating mobile dentistry and digital denture workflows can provide valuable experiential learning opportunities and support students' understanding of geriatric oral healthcare, mobile dentistry, and digital dentistry workflows.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/froh.2026.1923430","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T04:33:34Z","timestamp":1789533214000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Mobile dentistry and digital dentures in aged care placements: dental students\u2019 experiences and perceptions"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Archana","family":"Pradhan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney","place":["Sydney, NSW, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zakia Sultana","family":"Happy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney","place":["Sydney, NSW, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rahena","family":"Akhter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney","place":["Sydney, NSW, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arash","family":"Rudman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney","place":["Sydney, NSW, Australia"]},{"name":"Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, College of Health, Adelaide University","place":["Adelaide, SA, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shilpi","family":"Ajwani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney","place":["Sydney, NSW, Australia"]},{"name":"Centre for Education and Research on Ageing (CERA), Department of Geriatric Medicine, Concord Repatriation Hospital","place":["Sydney, NSW, Australia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.3390\/geriatrics6040097","article-title":"Oral health care of older adults in Hong Kong","volume":"6","author":"Chan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Geriatrics"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"284","DOI":"10.1111\/idh.12187","article-title":"Senior smiles: preliminary results for a new model of oral health care utilizing the dental hygienist in residential aged care facilities","volume":"14","author":"Wallace","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int J Dent Hyg"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-020-01974-1","article-title":"The frailty in residential sector over time (FIRST) study: methods and baseline cohort description","volume":"21","author":"Jadczak","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.3390\/dj11040097","article-title":"Dental infection requiring hospitalisation is a public health problem in Australia: a systematic review demonstrating an urgent need for published data","volume":"11","author":"Ullah","year":"2023","journal-title":"Dentistry J"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"515","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-018-3321-5","article-title":"An integrated oral health program for rural residential aged care facilities: a mixed methods comparative study","volume":"18","author":"Tynan","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1111\/ger.12784","article-title":"Integrating dental professionals into aged care with focus on Australia: a scoping review","volume":"42","author":"West","year":"2025","journal-title":"Gerodontology"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1754-4505.2001.tb00245.x","article-title":"Mobile and portable dentistry: alternative treatment services for the elderly","volume":"21","author":"Lee","year":"2001","journal-title":"Spec Care Dentist"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"231","DOI":"10.12968\/denu.2011.38.4.231","article-title":"Domiciliary oral healthcare","volume":"38","author":"Lewis","year":"2011","journal-title":"Dent Update"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"787","DOI":"10.1111\/scd.12912","article-title":"Provision of domiciliary dental service to residential aged care facilities: a 3-year descriptive summary","volume":"44","author":"Chu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Spec Care Dentist"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"420","DOI":"10.1111\/ger.12282","article-title":"Residential age care and domiciliary oral health services: reach-OHT\u2014the development of a metropolitan oral health programme in Sydney, Australia","volume":"34","author":"Wright","year":"2017","journal-title":"Gerodontology"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"972","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-021-06788-4","article-title":"Domiciliary dentistry clinics: a multiple case study in the province of Quebec, Canada","volume":"21","author":"Makansi","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2890518","DOI":"10.1155\/2024\/2890518","article-title":"Community-based dental education (CBDE): a survey of current program implementation at Australian dental schools","volume":"2024","author":"Taylor","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int J Dent"},{"key":"B13","first-page":"309","article-title":"Dental hygiene students' views on a service-learning residential aged care placement program","volume":"88","author":"Wallace","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Dent Hyg"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"236","DOI":"10.1111\/eje.12044","article-title":"Reflective folios for dental hygiene students: what do they tell US about a residential aged care student placement experience?","volume":"17","author":"Wallace","year":"2013","journal-title":"Eur J Dent Educ"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e54153","DOI":"10.2196\/54153","article-title":"Digital dentists: a curriculum for the 21st century","volume":"11","author":"Mun","year":"2025","journal-title":"JMIR Med Educ"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1111\/ger.12555","article-title":"Gerodontology in the dental school curriculum: a scoping review","volume":"38","author":"Nilsson","year":"2021","journal-title":"Gerodontology"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1373","DOI":"10.1002\/jdd.13583","article-title":"Stakeholder perceptions of gerodontology education for final year Australian dental school curricula","volume":"88","author":"Nilsson","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Dent Educ"},{"key":"B18","first-page":"38","article-title":"Training dental practitioners in dementia and aged care","volume":"10","author":"Pradhan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Aus J Dement Care"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1038\/s41405-024-00262-z","article-title":"Healthy ageing and oral health: priority, policy and public health","volume":"10","author":"Patel","year":"2024","journal-title":"Br Dental J Open"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3269","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17093269","article-title":"Digital undergraduate education in dentistry: a systematic review","volume":"17","author":"Zitzmann","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"B21","year":""},{"key":"B22","volume-title":"Healthy Mouths, Healthy Lives: Australia's National Oral Health Plan 2015\u20132024","year":"2015"},{"key":"B23","year":"2024"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.3390\/dj11010005","article-title":"Implementation of a full digital workflow by 3D printing intraoral splints used in dental education: an exploratory observational study with respect to students\u2019 experiences","volume":"11","author":"Kraemer-Fernandez","year":"2022","journal-title":"Dentistry Journal"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1391","DOI":"10.1007\/s11135-021-01182-y","article-title":"A worked example of braun and clarke\u2019s approach to reflexive thematic analysis","volume":"56","author":"Byrne","year":"2022","journal-title":"Qual Quant"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1111\/eje.70001","article-title":"Digital removable denture workflows in dental education: a systematic review and curriculum development exploration","volume":"30","author":"Veerasamy","year":"2026","journal-title":"Eur J Dent Educ"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e83272","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.83272","article-title":"Challenges and opportunities in implementing digital technology in dental curriculum: a review and perspective","volume":"17","author":"Ohyama","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"344","DOI":"10.1111\/cdoe.12944","article-title":"Dentists\u2019 perspectives on structural and system barriers hindering oral healthcare provision in residential care facilities","volume":"52","author":"Koh","year":"2024","journal-title":"Community Dent Oral Epidemiol"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Oral Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/froh.2026.1923430\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T04:33:41Z","timestamp":1789533221000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/froh.2026.1923430\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"references-count":28,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/froh.2026.1923430"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/froh.2026.1923430","relation":{},"ISSN":["2673-4842"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2673-4842","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"article-number":"1923430"}}