Child maltreatment: Cross-sectional survey of general dentists

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Harsimran Kaur
K Vinod
Harpreet Singh
Lavina Arya
Prateek Verma
Baldeep Singh

Abstract

Background: Child abuse continues to be a social menace causing both physical and emotional trauma to benevolent children. Census has shown that nearly 50–75% of child abuse include trauma to mouth, face, and head. Thus, dental professionals are in a strategic position to identify physical and emotional manifestations of abuse. Aim: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess knowledge and attitude of dental professionals on the exigent issue of child abuse. Methodology: With prior consent, a 20-question survey including both multiple choice and dichotomous (yes/no) questions was mailed to 120 state-registered general dentists and the data collected were subjected to statistical analysis. Statistical Analysis: The overall response rate to the questionnaires was 97%. Lack of knowledge about dentist role in reporting child abuse accounted to 55% in the reasons for hesitancy to report. Pearson's Chi-square test did not show any significant difference between male and female regarding the reason for hesitancy to report and legal obligation of dentists. Results: Although respondent dentists were aware of the diagnosis of child abuse, they were hesitant and unaware of the appropriate authority to report.

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How to Cite
Harsimran Kaur, K Vinod, Harpreet Singh, Lavina Arya, Prateek Verma, & Baldeep Singh. (2017). Child maltreatment: Cross-sectional survey of general dentists. Journal of Forensic Dental Sciences, 9(1), 24–30. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfo.jfds_6_15

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