Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Child Abuse Diagnosis and Reporting Among a Group of Egyptian Dentists

NCT04117971 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 14422017451433
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 196
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Child abuse is defined as "Any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs child's physical, sexual, or emotional health and development". According to The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Child physical abuse CPA is defined as "The intentional use of physical force against a child that result in, or has the potential to result in, physical injury". Child abuse and neglect may occur in any family, and it isn't confined to certain geographic, ethnic, or socioeconomic background. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimation, around forty million children suffer from different forms of abuse, and require health and social care. WHO has estimated that in year 2000 nearly fifty-seven thousand children under fifteen years old were dead because of abuse, with the highest rate in children between zero to four years old. In 2014, WHO estimated that 23% of children worldwide were subjected to physical abuse. Dentists are the best to detect children who are at abuse risk, since more than fifty percent of abuse injuries occur at head and neck region, and they are the first to see and treat orofacial region. Studies have shown that while dentists are in a good position to detect and report abuse, few of them do report abuse cases. The main causes of not reporting CPA are lack of adequate history, inability, and hesitancy in diagnosing the abuse, fear that it may affect the reputation of their clinic, worry about what will happen to the child and his family, and unfamiliarity with child protection policy in their workplace. The Egyptian law obligates dentists to report any suspected case of child abuse. Many studies have been published assessing dentists' knowledge and practice of CPA diagnosis and reporting. However, to our knowledge, there are no published data available about Egyptian dentists' cognition of CPA signs and diagnosis, and their actual participation in reporting suspected cases.

Conditions

Child Abuse

Keywords

Child abuse; Abuse diagnosis; Abuse report; dentists' knowledge

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Assessing Egyptian dentists' knowledge about child abuse diagnosis.

  Questions about the ability of dentist to diagnose abuse, using trichotomous scale (Yes/No/Don't know)

  One month.

• Assessing Egyptian dentists' knowledge about child abuse reporting.

  Questioning if the dentist is able to report a suspected case of child abuse, using trichotomous scale (Yes/No/Don't know)

  One month.

• Assessing Egyptian dentists' attitude and practice towards child abuse.

  Assessment of Egyptian dentists' attitude towards child abuse reporting, and practice of reporting, using trichotomous scale (Yes/No/Don't know)

  One month

Study Arms (3)

Staff members

Staff members in different clinical departments at Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University.

Other: Questionnaire

PhD students

PhD candidates in different clinical departments at Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University.

Other: Questionnaire

Master's students

Master's candidates in in different clinical departments at Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University.

Other: Questionnaire

Interventions

Questionnaire OTHER

The study will involve structured questionnaire asking questions about knowledge, attitude, and practice of child abuse diagnosis and reporting among dentists.

Master's students; PhD students; Staff members

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Cluster sample, involving dentists with different experience, knowledge, age group, and specialities.

You may qualify if:

• Staff members at all departments in Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University.
• Master's and PhD candidates enrolled at different specialities.

You may not qualify if:

• Intern dentists.
• Dentists who don't have a work permission in Egypt.
• Dentists who will refuse to participate.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cairo University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Cairo University

Cairo, 12613, Egypt

Location

Related Publications (12)

• Al-Dabaan R, Newton JT, Asimakopoulou K. Knowledge, attitudes, and experience of dentists living in Saudi Arabia toward child abuse and neglect. Saudi Dent J. 2014 Jul;26(3):79-87. doi: 10.1016/j.sdentj.2014.03.008. Epub 2014 May 9.

  PMID: 25057227 BACKGROUND

• Costacurta M, Benavoli D, Arcudi G, Docimo R. Oral and dental signs of child abuse and neglect. Oral Implantol (Rome). 2016 Jul 25;8(2-3):68-73. doi: 10.11138/orl/2015.8.2.068. eCollection 2015 Apr-Sep.

  PMID: 27555907 BACKGROUND

• Harris JC, Elcock C, Sidebotham PD, Welbury RR. Safeguarding children in dentistry: 1. Child protection training, experience and practice of dental professionals with an interest in paediatric dentistry. Br Dent J. 2009 Apr 25;206(8):409-14. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2009.307.

  PMID: 19396200 BACKGROUND

• Owais AI, Qudeimat MA, Qodceih S. Dentists' involvement in identification and reporting of child physical abuse: Jordan as a case study. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2009 Jul;19(4):291-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-263X.2009.00971.x. Epub 2009 May 20.

  PMID: 19476516 BACKGROUND

• Cairns AM, Mok JY, Welbury RR. Injuries to the head, face, mouth and neck in physically abused children in a community setting. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2005 Sep;15(5):310-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-263X.2005.00661.x.

  PMID: 16128994 BACKGROUND

• Jordan A, Welbury RR, Tiljak MK, Cukovic-Bagic I. Croatian dental students' educational experiences and knowledge in regard to child abuse and neglect. J Dent Educ. 2012 Nov;76(11):1512-9.

  PMID: 23144487 BACKGROUND

• Kirankumar SV, Noorani H, Shivprakash PK, Sinha S. Medical professional perception, attitude, knowledge, and experience about child abuse and neglect in Bagalkot district of north Karnataka: a survey report. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2011 Jul-Sep;29(3):193-7. doi: 10.4103/0970-4388.85807.

  PMID: 21985873 BACKGROUND

• Laud A, Gizani S, Maragkou S, Welbury R, Papagiannoulis L. Child protection training, experience, and personal views of dentists in the prefecture of Attica, Greece. Int J Paediatr Dent. 2013 Jan;23(1):64-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-263X.2012.01225.x. Epub 2012 Mar 16.

  PMID: 22429739 BACKGROUND

• Mogaddam M, Kamal I, Merdad L, Alamoudi N. Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of dentists regarding child physical abuse in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Child Abuse Negl. 2016 Apr;54:43-56. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.02.004. Epub 2016 Mar 15.

  PMID: 26990176 BACKGROUND

• Sonbol HN, Abu-Ghazaleh S, Rajab LD, Baqain ZH, Saman R, Al-Bitar ZB. Knowledge, educational experiences and attitudes towards child abuse amongst Jordanian dentists. Eur J Dent Educ. 2012 Feb;16(1):e158-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0579.2011.00691.x. Epub 2011 May 5.

  PMID: 22251340 BACKGROUND

• Ellis C. Summary of: the Scottish dental practitioner's role in managing child abuse and neglect. Br Dent J. 2013 May;214(9):454-5. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.461. No abstract available.

  PMID: 23660905 BACKGROUND

• Harris CM, Welbury R, Cairns AM. The Scottish dental practitioner's role in managing child abuse and neglect. Br Dent J. 2013 May;214(9):E24. doi: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.435.

  PMID: 23660928 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Surveys and Questionnaires

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Master's candidate

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 4, 2019
• First Posted: October 7, 2019
• Study Start: November 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2021
• Study Completion: May 1, 2021
• Last Updated: March 2, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

EG (1)