{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T10:20:28Z","timestamp":1788258028569,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Dent. J.","Dentistry Journal"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Geriatric dentistry prepares dentists to care for an aging population. Yet, its integration into undergraduate curricula remains inconsistent. Objectives: To map evidence on the barriers to and facilitators of the implementation and development of undergraduate geriatric dental education. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using systematic searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase for English-language original research articles published from 1 January 2016 onward. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts independently against eligibility criteria. Studies were included if they examined barriers and\/or facilitators related to undergraduate geriatric dental education. Data were extracted independently and synthesized descriptively to identify themes and evidence gaps. No critical appraisal was performed. Results: This review identified 1376 studies and included 11 studies, including seven cross-sectional and four cohort studies. Barriers clustered into three themes: structural and workforce-related barriers (resource constraints and a lack of equipped\/trained staff), curricular and regulatory barriers (overcrowded curricula and a lack of curriculum guidelines), and interprofessional and attitudinal barriers (limited interprofessional collaboration and negative attitudes among students and teaching staff towards older adults). Facilitators were grouped into three themes: pedagogical and experiential learning strategies (didactic teaching, clinical training, extramural exposure, simulation-based training, and communication training), curricular and policy enablers (integrated curricula and national guidelines), and institutional and faculty support (staff support). Conclusions: This review identifies the multifaceted, modifiable educational, institutional, and policy factors that influence the implementation and development of geriatric dental education. By consolidating the existing evidence, this review provides a foundation for curriculum development and policy planning to prepare graduates to deliver age-responsive oral healthcare.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/dj14090548","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T09:48:36Z","timestamp":1788256116000},"page":"548","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Advancing Geriatric Dental Education: A Scoping Review of Barriers and Facilitators in Undergraduate Curricula"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6210-9293","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alice Kit Ying","family":"Chan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2035-9873","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lindsey Lingxi","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-0589-2996","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanna Cheuk Yan","family":"Hui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8167-0430","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chun Hung","family":"Chu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"United Nations (2026, June 22). 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