Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to clarify how exactly the dentist and the dental hygienist at a public health center or a dental office recognizes the obligation concerning child abuse, and to consider their roles in the early detection and prevention of child abuse.
The questionnaire was sent to dental offices and public hea lth centers in Tokyo. Forty-seven dentists and 69 dental hygienists at dental offices, and 37 dental hygienists at public health centers accepted our request and answered the questionnaire after reading the written explanation about the purpose of this study and the confidentiality obligation.
The following results were obtained from this survey:
1. The ratio of people having concerns about child abuse was 100% in dental hygienists at the public health centers,93.6% in dentists at dental offices, and 69.6% in dental hygienists at the dental offices, showing that dental hygienists at dental offices have less concerns about child abuse compared with others.
2. Dental hygienists at dental offices have predominantly obtained the information about child abuse in class at their vocational schools, while dentists and dental hygienists at public health centers have obtained it at lecture meetings and seminars after graduation.
3. The ratio of persons understanding the obligation to report suspected cases of child abuse was 81.1% in dental hygienists at the public health centers,66% in dentists,44.9% in dental hygienists at the dental offices, suggesting that the awareness of this obligation in dental hygienists at dental offices is lower than others. Regarding the detailed contents of obligation to report, although most of dental hygienists and dentists knew where to report suspected child abuse and that reporting suspected cases does not break confidentiality, less dental professionals knew that they do not have to verify the query.
4. Seventy-three percent of dental hygienists at public health centers,36.2% of dentists and only 4.4% of dental hygienists at dental offices experienced at least 1 case of suspected child abuse.
5. Among the dentists who experienced a suspected case of child abuse,76.5% of them did not repot the case. Over 75% of dental professionals feel some unease about reporting a suspected case, which leads to hesitation in reporting.
6. In dental offices, only 14.9% of dentists and 7.3% of dental hygienists have implemented some program supporting child-rearing for prevention of child abuse. Further assistance for child-raising by dental professionals at dental offices is required to promote the physical and mental health of the community.
