Abstract :
Aim: to assess the knowledge an attitude of dentists towards reporting child abuse and neglect (CAN).Materials and Methods: A questionnaire of 10 questions was created and sent to 300 dentists across India. This questionnaire was validated through a pilot and accordingly modified. Responses from 150 dentists were recorded and analyzed.Result: 23% dentists admitted to have encountered CAN in their practice and 62% dentists reported to have observed neglect. 52% dentists were not confident in identifying CAN and 68% admitted that they needed more training. On asking who they thought was the main culprit in CAN, “father” was the most common answer.Conclusion: Dentists need to be trained in CAN identification and reporting to curb this evil in the society.
Keyword :
Child abuse and neglect, Dental neglect, Dentist's knowledge.