Croatian dentists' knowledge, experience, and attitudes in regard to child abuse and neglect

• Published in: International journal of paediatric dentistry 2015-11, Vol.25 (6), p.444-450
• Main Authors: Cukovic-Bagic, Ivana, Dumancic, Jelena, Kujundzic Tiljak, Mirjana, Drvaric, Iva, Boric, Biserka, Kopic, Vlatko, Krupic, Ivana, Bakarcic, Danko, Budimir, Marijo, Welbury, Richard R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitude surveys; Child; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse - diagnosis; Child Abuse - psychology; Child Welfare; Croatia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentistry; Dentists; Dentists - psychology; Disclosure - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Mandatory Reporting; Middle Aged; Police; Professional Role; Social Work; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0960-7439; 1365-263X
• DOI: 10.1111/ipd.12151

Background Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a widespread social phenomenon encompassing all forms of maltreatment with serious lifelong consequences. Dentists and dental team members are in the unique position to identify the symptoms of CAN often visible in craniofacial region. Aim To evaluate Croatian dentists' level of knowledge, experience, and attitude towards CAN issue. Design Investigation was conducted in five major Croatian cities (Zagreb, Varaždin, Osijek, Rijeka, and Split). A previously used questionnaire regarding knowledge and experience in child protection was adopted to Croatian terminology and distributed to 544 dentists. Results A total of 510 dentists who returned a questionnaire with valid data 26.27% reported to have had suspicion of CAN during professional career and 5.1% reported their suspicion within the last 6 months, mostly to social services and police. Fear of violence towards the child and uncertainty about observations were the most frequently reported barriers towards referring and only 11.4% knew the procedure. About 80% of respondents want further training in identifying and reporting of physical abuse. Conclusions Study showed a lack of knowledge and uncertainty in recognizing and reporting CAN cases in Croatian dentists. They expressed the need for undergraduate and post‐graduate continuing education on this issue.