Awareness and attitude of students and professors toward child physical abuse observed in routine dental practice

Olivia Dorigoni, Régis Gambatto, Angélica Maroli, Caroline Solda, Ademir Franco, Cauane Blumenberg, Luiz Renato Paranhos and Lilian Rigo

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 116, issue C

Abstract: This study aims to assess the awareness and attitude of students and professors regarding child physical abuse (CPA) in the routine dental practice. A cross-sectional study has been designed with 117 dentistry students and 29 dentistry professors. A questionnaire was administered to assess their knowledge regarding CPA and their attitude toward the same. It was determined that less than 40.0% of the participants received formal education about CPA during the undergraduate course in dentistry. Most of the students (94.0%) and professors (75.9%) reported that they could identify clinical signs of CPA, including those listed as minor and common injuries among children (i.e., bruising, abrasions, and lacerations). Almost half of the students (47.0%) reported that in cases of CPA, the head and neck were the most affected body parts, while 44.8% of the professors indicated that the arms also could indicate signs of CPA. In the case of suspected CPA, 76.9% of the students, and 79.3% of the professors stated that they would report it to official child protective services. In general, it can be stated that dentistry students and professors are aware of the basic aspects of CPA, especially when it comes to identifying and reporting cases. However, there is still a gap in terms of formal education and training at the undergraduate level regarding the adequate attitude to deal with CPA.

Keywords: Child abuse; Education; Forensic dentistry; Forensic science; Violence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:116:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920305934

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105185

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