Objectives: The attitude of French dentists concerning domestic abuse has hardly ever been documented upon so far. The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes, knowledge and practices of a population of French general dental practitioners towards the prevention and detection of signs of neglect and abuse in order to determine the educational needs both during undergraduate curriculum and continuing education sessions.
Methods: A total of 418 general dental practitioners all practising in the French area of Puy de Dôme were invited to participate in the study. The survey was conducted with questionnaires including multiple-choice or open questions and VAS scales.
Results: The response rate was 54% (228/418). Only 5.7% of the practitioners systematically look for signs of neglect or abuse when treating their patients. 36% declare having already come across one or several cases of abuse and 48% having suspected at least one. The patients concerned were mainly women (54%). Only 28% would adopt an attitude in compliance with the French legislation if confronted with a case of abuse or domestic violence. 75.9% of the practitioners would like more training and assistance in the detection and care of abused patients and particularly as regards signs of abuse and the legal framework.
Conclusions: More information and training concerning abuse and domestic violence is required in the French undergraduate dental curriculum in order to help practitioners deal with such patients.
© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.