Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect
Aim: To analyze the experience and knowledge of dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia regarding the identification of child abuse and neglect (CAN), to identify barriers that prevent the reporting of suspected cases of child maltreatment by dental practitioners, and to assess the need for training de...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2014-07-01
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| Series: | Saudi Dental Journal |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101390521400042X |
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| author | R. Al-Dabaan J.T. Newton K. Asimakopoulou |
| author_facet | R. Al-Dabaan J.T. Newton K. Asimakopoulou |
| author_sort | R. Al-Dabaan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aim: To analyze the experience and knowledge of dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia regarding the identification of child abuse and neglect (CAN), to identify barriers that prevent the reporting of suspected cases of child maltreatment by dental practitioners, and to assess the need for training dentists in child protection. Methods: A self-administered, web-based questionnaire was emailed to all of the members of the Saudi Dental Society (n = 7352) in 2012. Results: The respondents (n = 122) demonstrated good knowledge of the forms and indicators of CAN. Moreover, a large proportion (59%) had experienced a case of child abuse or neglect in their practice over the previous five years. However, only about 10% of these respondents made a report. Fear of family reprisal, lack of certainty about the diagnosis of child maltreatment, and uncertainty about case management were critical barriers to the reporting of the suspected child maltreatment. In addition, only 20.9% of the respondents reported having knowledge of a child protection policy in their workplace. Conclusions: Based on the results of this survey, it appears that the level of knowledge among the respondents regarding the forms and indicators of CAN is good. However, a large proportion of respondents did not take action regarding suspected cases of CAN in their practice over the past five years. Therefore, additional resources and training are needed to support the identification and management of cases of child maltreatment by dental practitioners. Keywords: Child abuse, Child neglect, Child protection, Dental team, Saudi Arabia |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e63d46ef91c3457494333a196b7a5d22 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1013-9052 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-07-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Saudi Dental Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-e63d46ef91c3457494333a196b7a5d222025-08-20T02:14:16ZengSpringerSaudi Dental Journal1013-90522014-07-01263798710.1016/j.sdentj.2014.03.008Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglectR. Al-Dabaan0J.T. Newton1K. Asimakopoulou2Paediatric Dentistry Division, Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, King Saud University College of Dentistry, Saudi Arabia; Unit of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Dental Institute, King’s College London, United Kingdom; Corresponding author at: Unit of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Dental Institute, King’s College London, Cladecot Road, London SE5 9RW, United Kingdom. Tel.: +44 7500 83 88 36.Unit of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Dental Institute, King’s College London, United KingdomUnit of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Dental Institute, King’s College London, United KingdomAim: To analyze the experience and knowledge of dental practitioners in Saudi Arabia regarding the identification of child abuse and neglect (CAN), to identify barriers that prevent the reporting of suspected cases of child maltreatment by dental practitioners, and to assess the need for training dentists in child protection. Methods: A self-administered, web-based questionnaire was emailed to all of the members of the Saudi Dental Society (n = 7352) in 2012. Results: The respondents (n = 122) demonstrated good knowledge of the forms and indicators of CAN. Moreover, a large proportion (59%) had experienced a case of child abuse or neglect in their practice over the previous five years. However, only about 10% of these respondents made a report. Fear of family reprisal, lack of certainty about the diagnosis of child maltreatment, and uncertainty about case management were critical barriers to the reporting of the suspected child maltreatment. In addition, only 20.9% of the respondents reported having knowledge of a child protection policy in their workplace. Conclusions: Based on the results of this survey, it appears that the level of knowledge among the respondents regarding the forms and indicators of CAN is good. However, a large proportion of respondents did not take action regarding suspected cases of CAN in their practice over the past five years. Therefore, additional resources and training are needed to support the identification and management of cases of child maltreatment by dental practitioners. Keywords: Child abuse, Child neglect, Child protection, Dental team, Saudi Arabiahttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101390521400042X |
| spellingShingle | R. Al-Dabaan J.T. Newton K. Asimakopoulou Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect Saudi Dental Journal |
| title | Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect |
| title_full | Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect |
| title_fullStr | Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect |
| title_full_unstemmed | Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect |
| title_short | Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect |
| title_sort | knowledge attitudes and experience of dentists living in saudi arabia toward child abuse and neglect |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101390521400042X |
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