The Journal
Table IV represents the knowledge of the dentist ’ s regarding diagnostic indicators of child abuse and neglect . 95.2 % marked an incorrect response for the question , children who have been abused usually tell someone soon after the abuse and 92.8 % dentists think that child abuse and neglect are primarily associated with the stresses of poverty and rarely occurs among middle or high income groups , which is not true . Among all , only 35.2 % of the dentists were aware of the child helpline number . assessment . The knowledge of child abuse demonstrated by the respondents in this study is of particular interest . Overall , most respondents were well able to define child abuse in terms of physical and emotional aspects and provide psychosocial and medical signs of child abuse . An important prerequisite for reporting suspected cases of child abuse is the basic knowledge about what to look for and how to
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diagnose these cases . Inspite of the knowledge among the respondents regarding signs of child abuse and neglect , none of them had ever
TABLE V : Reasons for hesitance to report a suspected case
In spite of the knowledge regarding various signs of child abuse and neglect , none of the dentists surveyed had ever reported a case of child abuse and when enquired about the reasons for their hesitance to report , 68.4 % dentists delineated a lack of knowledge about a dentist ’ s role in reporting a case of child abuse and neglect .
Discussion
Every child worldwide has the right of a loving environ ¬ ment and deserves a life free from violence , and child protection is the duty of
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every member of the society . This study used a self-made close ended questionnaire to obtain information from dentists about their attitudes and perceptions regarding child abuse and neglect . The representative sample and the high response rate achieved allowed for a valid
reported a case of child abuse and only 35.4 % of the respondents were aware of the child helpline number which clearly indicates their unawareness about where and how to report a suspected case . If doubt exists concerning whether to report or not the suspected case , consultation with the patient ’ s phy-sician , a social worker , or with the local government
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authorities is recommended . When enquired about the reasons for not reporting a case of child abuse , 64.8 % dentists showed a lack of knowledge about dentist ’ s role in reporting a case of suspected child abuse . Dentists who suspect or recognize some form of child abuse , have a responsibility of reporting it to the concerned authorities . Dental professionals are mandated by law to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect , but surveys show that
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dentists do not fulfil their obligation to report . Moreover 92.8 % of the dentists think that child
10 3 26 Vol . 12 No . 23 May-August Sept-Dec 2016