Europe is an ageing population, with many older adults living longer due to advancements in health and standard of living. These substantial improvements in life expectancy should be coupled with an improvement and maintenance of health and associated quality of life.

Dentistry is also reflecting these developments with larger numbers of older adults retaining more of their natural dentitions. These trends are eliciting more interest in the aging mouth in order to mitigate the ever-increasing prevalence of chronic oral diseases and health inequalities. Ageing societies will require adaptation in order to tackle these emerging challenges. The course intends to address these experiences by preparing dental professionals in this rapidly evolving area of Dentistry.

The programme is structured over a three-year academic period, inclusive of 2 semesters per year and two summer periods of eight weeks each. You will be exposed to the theoretical and scientific foundation of the profession of gerodontology and also become skilful in clinical practice within the professional environment of the teaching clinics and other settings, in a timely and structured manner as follows:

1st year: The first year will provide you with introductory knowledge on the gerodontology and specific areas of dentistry and medicine. The latter two areas will lay down the foundations for clinical practice. In parallel, you will perform clinical/laboratory treatment. Clinical treatment will be provided in a dental clinic set-up. You will engage in the review of literature related to gerodontology and associated disciplines.

2nd year: You will further develop intellectually by receiving in-depth knowledge focused on specific areas of gerodontology, including domiciliary services and gerontology. You will further engage in the review of literature related to gerodontology and associated disciplines, to analyse, evaluate and highlight existing gaps. The second year will provide the foundations for the research project in third year by the delivery of research methodology and submission of a research proposal. On the practical front, you will focus on the professional-patient relationship and engage in the management of older adult patients in traditional clinical environments as well as providing domiciliary services in diverse settings. The latter will allow you to further develop their clinical and technical skills.

3rd year: The final year of the course will be mainly dedicated to a research project. Clinically, you will consolidate your skills by refining your intellectual and clinical/technical proficiency so as to allow the candidate to seek direct employment in this specialized area, after completion of studies.