Child abuse: Perception and responsibility of dentists

• Autor(a) principal: Granville-Garcia, Ana Flávia
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: Menezes, Valdenice Aparecida, Silva, Paula Fernanda Rodrigues
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista odonto ciência (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistaseletronicas.pucrs.br/ojs/index.php/fo/article/view/1112
• topic: Child abuse; domestic violence; child; Child abuse

Purpose: To verify the perception and responsibility of dentists in relation to child abuse. Methods: Fifty-four dentists currently working in private practice or public service were interviewed. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: Most dentists (87%) reported having knowledge of child abuse and considered themselves capable of diagnosis (65%). However, few dentists mentioned oral lesions as evidence of child abuse (4%). In general, dentists would report child abuse (96%); the Guardian Council (63%) and the Childhood and Adolescence Court House (22%) were the most cited organizations for child protection. However, most dentists do not know how to document child abuse case (61%) nor received such information at dental school (93%). Conclusions: It is necessary to inform dentists of their legal and ethical responsibility and obligations in cases of child and adolescence abuse. Key words: Child abuse; domestic violence; child