What Victims of Domestic Violence Need from the Dental Profession

Abstract

Most dental schools teach students about domestic abuse, but it is unknown if this information is ever applied in practice. This study was conducted to determine whether domestic violence victims 1) visited dental offices when signs of abuse were present; 2) were asked about their injuries; 3) were given referrals or assistance; and 4) want the abuse recognized by and discussed with the dental professional. A survey was developed and mailed to fifteen shelters. Eleven (73.3 percent) shelters participated, with a total of 112 out of 165 (67.8 percent) surveys returned. Descriptive statistics were analyzed, and an ANOVA test was conducted to determine if a relationship existed between the incidence of abuse and ethnicity. Seventy-six percent of respondents had suffered physical abuse in the head and neck area. Over half of the participants had seen a dentist when signs of abuse were present, yet 88.6 percent were not asked about their injuries. In addition, 69.2 percent responded that they would have liked to have been asked about their injuries. It appears that the dental profession needs to take a more active role in the recognition of domestic violence in their patient populations. Raising dentists and dental hygienists' awareness of the problem and potentially increasing the number of referrals may help more victims.Ms. Nelms is a recent graduate of the M.S.

Educational needs in the field of detection of domestic violence and neglect: the opinion of a population of French dentists

“…This suggests that practitioners who are faced with a case of abuse try to get information from different sources, which might then enable them to adopt a more suitable behaviour. When respondents wished to justify their reasons for doing nothing, they claimed that they lacked competence and knowledge on the subject, they were not aware of their rights and duties and of the consequences of their action for the victim, which is in keeping with the motives given in other studies (9, 13). Fewer than 10% of Puy‐de‐Dôme dentists considered they lacked time or thought it was not for them to intervene, contrary to the study of Love et al.…”

“…The dentist is responsible for his or her patient’s oral health, but as a healthcare professional, the dentist is also in charge of the population’s general health and thus has a determining role in the prevention and detection of certain pathologies and more global problems. Physical injuries as a result of violence and abuse are mainly observed on the neck and head, allowing dentists to play an important role in the detection of abuse (9, 10). The dental school in Clermont‐Ferrand, like most French dental schools, does not offer specific training in the field of maltreatment.…”

Italian guidelines for the prevention and management of dental trauma in children

“…Regarding the face and neck, the oral cavity is less frequently affected by violence, but lesions at this level (bruising of the hard palate and springs, fractures tearing, burns of mucosae, etc.) can be easily detected by the health worker during an examination [93, 94].…”

Building oral health capacity in a women's health service

“…Structural factors that can improve oral healthcare include better education for dental professionals about prevention and providing opportunities for dental and other primary healthcare workers to collaborate and share their knowledge and skills in ways that change their practice in primary healthcare settings and benefit women from disadvantaged and often traumatised backgrounds to improve their oral health outcomes (Crocombe et al 2014;Keeling and Fisher 2015). Evidence suggests women are seldom asked by dental professionals about FDV, but would like to be (Nelms et al 2009), raising the question of where the problem lies.…”