Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the current rate of observing and reporting of child neglect among Massachusetts dentists and to identify possible factors associated with child neglect observation and reporting behaviors.
Methods: A web-based questionnaire was emailed to 3,451 members of the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS). The questionnaire was divided into three parts: demographic information on the dentists and their practices; knowledge and reporting behaviors of child maltreatment; and educational experiences with child maltreatment.
Results: The response rate to the survey was 19.6 percent, with 678 dentists completing the questionnaire. In the year prior to taking the survey, the responding dentists encountered 239 cases of child neglect, of which 20 percent were reported to authorities. The most powerful predictor for seeing and reporting cases of child neglect was the dentist's participation in child maltreatment continuing education courses.
Conclusions: Massachusetts dentists do see and report cases of child neglect; however, only a minority of these cases was reported. Participation in continuing education courses was a strong predictor of dentists' both seeing and reporting cases of child neglect.