The experiences of Finnish dental professionals in handling child abuse and neglect issues in their daily work

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to assess the experiences, attitudes and knowledge of child abuse and neglect (CAN) among dentists, dental hygienists and dental nurses in Finland.

Material and methods

A web-based CAN survey was sent to 8500 Finnish dental professionals, covering demographic characteristics, dental education, suspicion of CAN, actions taken and reasons for inaction as well as training on CAN issues. The chi-squared (χ²) test was used to analyse associations.

Results

In total, 1586 questionnaires with valid data were completed. Among respondents, 25.8% had received at least some undergraduate training and 36.3% had received postgraduate training on child maltreatment issues. In addition, 43% of respondents had at least one suspicion of CAN at some point during their career. Of those, 64.3% did not refer to social services. Training positively associated with the identification of CAN and referral frequencies. Uncertainty about an observation (80.1%) and a lack of knowledge regarding procedures (43.9%) were the most frequently reported barriers.

Conclusions

Finnish dental professionals need more education on child abuse and neglect issues. Competence related to CAN is fundamental to their skills given that all dental professionals regularly work with children and are obligated to report their concerns to proper authorities.