Citation

Fracon ET, da Silva RHA, Bregagnolo JC. RSBO 2011; 8(2): 153-159.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Universidade da Região de Joinville, Departamento de Odontologia)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Introduction: Violence has been globally increasing; the media has focused on all its different ways, from cases of domestic violence to serious armed conflicts. The expression “child abuse” involves any action or omission that harms either the children’s well-being, physical and psychological integrity, or their liberty and the right to full development. Objective: To verify if dentists working in the city of Cravinhos (São Paulo, Brazil) have received proper instruction and training for identifying cases of child and adolescent abuse and if they knew how to act when facing this situation. Material and methods: This study sample comprised 19 dentists from Cravinhos, who worked either at private offices or public health system centers and answered an objective questionnaire after signing a written consent form. Results: Regarding to the suspect of a patient (child or adolescent) had suffered domestic or psychological abuse, 26.31% of the respondents answered they were able to recognize it. Concerning to what they would do if they confirmed a case of domestic violence, 42.10% of the respondents reported they would notify the Guardianship Council; and 73.7% reported they never received any type of instruction on this specific issue. Conclusion: This study’s participants were able to identify cases of child and adolescent abuse and knew how to proceed in this situation; however, there is still a need of more information or specific training on how to recognize cases of violence against children and adolescents.