Role of dental professional identification and referral of victims of domestic violence

Dental professionals can play an important role in identifying and referring victims of domestic violence. Since most of the injuries sustained by victims occur in the head and neck region, dentists are uniquely positioned to help address this enormous public health issue. Unfortunately, dentists are the least likely of all health professionals to identify and refer victims of abuse. Much of this failure may be attributed to a lack of knowledge. This article provides an overview of the types and indicators of abuse, information about screening and interviewing victims, and referral resources.     

Recognizing and reporting victims of domestic violence.

Domestic violence can be defined as any violent behavior directed against an individual within the home or family. It occurs in all segments of society and is not limited to a single ethnic or socioeconomic group. Since most intentional injuries occur in the head and neck area, the dentist might be the first to treat the domestic violence victim.     

Family violence content in dental hygiene curricula: a national survey

Dental personnel are in an excellent position to recognize suspected abuse of dental patients because 65-75 percent of abuse occurs in the head and neck area. While most dental and dental hygiene curricula include the topic of child abuse, it has previously been unknown if other types of abuse, such as intimate partner abuse, elder abuse, and abuse of disabled persons, are addressed. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which dental hygiene programs have incorporated these family violence topics into the curriculum. Specific data on content, teaching methods, faculty, and resources were collected. Reasons for not including family violence in the curricula, attitudes on mandatory continuing education, and support services available for abuse victims were also examined. A fifteen-item survey was sent to all 229 U.S. accredited dental hygiene programs. Surveys were returned from 173 programs for a response rate of 77.5 percent. Child abuse was taught in most programs (N=122, 70.5 percent), while elder abuse (N=95, 54.9 percent), intimate partner abuse (N=81, 46.8 percent), and abuse of individuals with disabilities (N=80, 46.2 percent) were taught in fewer programs. Reasons for not including family violence in the curricula (N=31, 18 percent) varied. The need is critical for increased curriculum attention in U.S. dental hygiene programs to help stem the epidemic of family violence. Raising dental hygienists' awareness of the problem and potentially increasing the number of reports of and referrals for suspected violence may help more victims.     

The role of the dental team in responding to domestic violence

The face is a common target in assault and consequently the dentist and dental care professional has a part to play in identifying domestic violence. Domestic violence is a term which refers to a wide range of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse of people who are, or have been, intimate partners - whether or not they are married or cohabiting. Although domestic violence can take place in any intimate relationship, including gay and lesbian partnerships, and whilst abuse of men by female partners does occur, the great majority and the most severe incidents of domestic violence, are perpetrated by men against women and we have therefore elected refer to the victim of assault in this paper as 'she' for ease of writing.     

Culturally competent responses for identifying and responding to domestic violence in dental care settings

Dental care providers can play an important role in identifying and preventing intimate partner violence. Many victims of domestic violence interact with dental care providers, including dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, thus placing dental professionals in a unique position to screen for early identification and even primary prevention of abuse. An effective and successful response to intimate partner violence in a dental care setting involves creating a safe and culturally competent environment for screening and disclosure, giving supportive messages to victims, educating patients about abuse and connection to health, offering strategies to promote safety, and informing clients about relevant community resources.     

Occurrence of traumatic dental injury in cases of domestic violence

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and types of traumatic dental injuries in situations of domestic violence. A coross-sectional study was conducted and data were collected from the police occurrence records to domestic physical aggression between 2001 and 2005. Of the 1,844 subjects who underwent medical evaluation, 15 had information pertaining to traumatic dental injuries. From the medical records, the forensic medical reports completed by the forensic medical experts who examined the victims after the aggression were reviewed and data of individuals with dental injuries (e.g., fractures, luxation and avulsion) were collected. In the selected sample, there was a predominance of individuals with injuries to the head and neck region (38.7%), and the frequency of traumatic dental injuries among all injuries to the head and neck region was 2.0%. The most frequently injured teeth were the maxillary incisors (31.8%), followed by the mandibular incisors (27.3%) and the maxillary canines (9.1%). In 31.8% of the injured teeth, the forensic experts did not specify the nomenclature. Of the dental trauma cases, 59.1% were fractures, 27.2% were luxations and 13.7% were avulsions. In conclusion, domestic violence was an important etiologic factor of traumatic dental injury. The aggression in all cases occurred in the form of punches and slaps. Fracture was the most common type of traumatic dental injury, and the most frequently injured teeth were the incisors.     

Recognizing and reporting domestic violence: A survey of dental practitioners

A survey was sent to 1,000 Colorado dentists to evaluate their recognition and reporting of child, elder, and spouse abuse. Approximately 40% of the dentists returned the survey. In answering questions about suspected and reported cases of child abuse, 29% of the respondents indicated that they had suspected at least one of their patients to be a victim of child abuse, while 14% of the respondents had actually reported at least one case. Only 7% of the responding dentists had ever suspected a case of elder abuse, while just over 1% indicated that they had reported at least one suspected elder abuse case to authorities. When asked about their recognition and reporting of spouse abuse, 30% of the responding practitioners had suspected at least one case, while only 3% had ever actually reported a case to authorities. The overwhelming majority of responding dentists indicated that they needed to know more about child, elder, and spouse abuse.     

Preparing dental students to recognize and respond to domestic violence: the impact of a brief tutorial

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a brief, interactive multimedia tutorial designed to prepare dentists to recognize and respond to domestic violence. METHODS: The authors randomly assigned dentists and dental students to one of three groups: a control group or one of two experimental groups in a modified Solomon four-group design. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-one dental students and 13 dentists completed the multimedia tutorial. At the posttest, subjects in both experimental groups demonstrated significantly better scores than did subjects in the control group on most items. The two experimental groups (pretest and posttest, posttest only) did not differ significantly from each other. CONCLUSION: An engaging, interactive tutorial presenting a simplified model for ways in which dental professionals can recognize and respond to domestic violence significantly improved dental students' knowledge of, and attitudes toward, the topic. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Clinicians may improve the care they provide to patients by accessing this brief tutorial and following the lessons contained in it.     

Harmonization of dental education and curricula in Europe

The need to harmonize undergraduate dental education and the recognition of dental degrees throughout the member countries of the European Union was recognised early on and was subject of EEC Directives in 1978. Growth of the EEC into the EU with the addition of more member nations has lead to continuing debate about the appropriate standards and measures for dental education. Attention has been given to defining both the 'input' measures of stipulating curricula and the 'output' measures of testing the competency of graduating dentists.     

A social anthropology model to evaluate curricula of dental schools

The purpose of the research project was to construct a model to evaluate curricula of schools of dentistry following the social anthropology paradigm. The point of departure for the project was practical experience gained in looking for information which could aid better decisions about how to conduct and change a dental curriculum. Information was obtained from the different people involved in the educational project: teachers, students and patients. Qualitative as well as quantitative curriculum information was included. The general questions posed were not only about 'how much', but also 'what, why, who, where and when?' The model used in the project seems to have been of value. It gave a base for considering why things were happening in the way they were, and facilitated a general explanation about how the main purposes of the school were accomplished.