Ageism Against Older Adults and Associated Factors: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study Among Dental Students in Midwestern Brazil

Eunice Ellen Gontijo de Menezes; Leonardo Marchini; Oscar Rysavy; Patrick Barlow; Cláudio Rodrigues Leles; Túlio Eduardo Nogueira

doi:10.1111/eje.70153

Back

Ageism Against Older Adults and Associated Factors: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study Among Dental Students in Midwestern Brazil

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Ageism Against Older Adults and Associated Factors: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study Among Dental Students in Midwestern Brazil

Eunice Ellen Gontijo de Menezes, Leonardo Marchini, Oscar Rysavy, Patrick Barlow, Cláudio Rodrigues Leles and Túlio Eduardo Nogueira

European journal of dental education

04/05/2026

DOI: 10.1111/eje.70153

PMID: 41937224

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.70153View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the occurrence of ageism towards older adults among dental students and investigate associated factors. This cross-sectional observational study included dental students who had completed at least one clinical academic component. Participants completed, in person, a printed self-administered questionnaire consisting of the Brazilian version of the Ageism Scale for Dental Students (ASDS-Braz), the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE-Br) and the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), as well as items addressing sociodemographic characteristics, intergenerational aspects, and academic experiences. Bivariate and multivariable models were used to explore associations between independent variables and the ASDS-Braz score. All analyses were performed in R version 4.4.1, adopting a 5% significance level. A total of 795 dental students from seven Higher Education Institutions in Goiás, Brazil, participated in the study. Most participants were female (74.3%; n = 587), with a median age of 22.0 years (Q1 = 21.0; Q3 = 25.0). Only 35.6% reported previous exposure to geriatric dentistry content or related activities. Significant differences in ageism scores were observed between students with and without prior exposure to geriatric dentistry (p < 0.01), with those who had prior exposure demonstrating lower ageism scores. Additionally, a significant negative association was found between ageism and empathy scores (p < 0.001; β = -0.10), with higher empathy associated with lower ageism. Dental students who had previous academic exposure to geriatric dentistry or care for older adults demonstrated significantly lower ageism scores. Furthermore, higher levels of empathy were associated with fewer ageist attitudes, underscoring the need to integrate geriatric content and empathy development into dental education.

aged

dental education

dental students

ageism

geriatric dentistry

Details

Title: Subtitle: Ageism Against Older Adults and Associated Factors: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study Among Dental Students in Midwestern Brazil
Creators: Eunice Ellen Gontijo de Menezes - Universidade Federal de Goiás
Leonardo Marchini - University of Iowa
Oscar Rysavy - University of Iowa
Patrick Barlow - University of Iowa
Cláudio Rodrigues Leles - Universidade Federal de Goiás
Túlio Eduardo Nogueira - Universidade Federal de Goiás
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: European journal of dental education
DOI: 10.1111/eje.70153
PMID: 41937224
NLM abbreviation: Eur J Dent Educ
ISSN: 1600-0579
eISSN: 1600-0579
Publisher: Wiley
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 04/05/2026
Academic Unit: Preventive and Community Dentistry; ICTS; Center for Social Science Innovation; Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education; General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9985151632602771

Metrics

1 Record Views