The dentist is apt to find family's violence sign

The dentist is apt to find family's violence sign
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -Many cases of domestic violence could be detected by dentists, yet the majority of dentists have never screened for abuse among their female patients, results of a survey suggest. That is because the presence of a partner or child during the office visit, fear of offending or embarrassing patients, a lack of training in dealing with domestic violence and a lack of knowledge about resources prevente d them from screening for abuse, researchers report. Indeed, dentists with domestic violence education were more likely to make a note suggesting abuse in a patie nt's chart, make referrals, and express concern about the patient's safety, according to a report in the January issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. "As domestic violence gains recognition as a public health issue, there is an increasing awareness that dentists ...have an opportunity --and legal and ethical obligation --to identify and make the appropriate referrals for patients who are partner abuse victims," write Dr. Barbara Gerbert and colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry. In an interview with Reuters Health, Gerbert suggested that dentists inquire about the home lives of patients they suspect have been abuse d, or ask about the cause of head and neck injuries, which often result from abuse. "Given that oral healthcare professionals routinely assess a patient's head and neck, dentists have a unique opportunity to recognize that a woman is being abused and to intervene, "the authors write. The survey found that 47% of dentists said they had suspected that a patient was a victim of domestic violence but only 15% said they had screened patients for abuse at routine visits. And 19% of dentists said they did not screen for abuse even when patients had visible signs of trauma. And nearly three quarters of dentists (71%) had not received any education about domestic violence in dental school or through continuing educati on. The resear chers stop short of recommending universal screening for domestic violence, however, and instead call for domestic violence education to become a standard component of dental school and continuing dental education curricula. "Hopefully, this eventually will make screening for and intervening with domestic violence a normal part of denti sts' professional responsibility," Gerbert said. The study notes that women may be reluctant to admit that they are being abused out of fear of retali ation, feelings of shame and denial. Healthcare professionals may also be reluctant to broach the topic of abuse due to lack of time, resources and training, as well as feelings of powerlessness to improve a patient's situation. Results are based on a national sample of 321 dentists. SOURCE: Journal of the American Dental Association January 2001.

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