Part 1: knowledge and educational experience.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the current knowledge and educational experiences of Massachusetts dentists regarding child maltreatment and to compare those findings to a similar survey completed in 1975.


METHODS
A web-based questionnaire was emailed to 3,451 members of the Massachusetts Dental Society. 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. Ninety percent of the dentists were aware of their legal obligation to report cases of child maltreatment, and 66.5 percent were able to name the appropriate agency for reporting such cases, both of which were significant and large increases since the 1975 survey. The most common source of child maltreatment education was from the dental literature, followed by predoctoral education and continuing education. Seventy-four percent of the responding dentists were comfortable in reporting cases of child maltreatment; however, 51 percent felt that they needed further education on child maltreatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of responding Massachusetts dentists were aware of their legal obligation to report cases of child maltreatment and where to do so, which is a significant and large improvement since the 1975 survey.
Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, USA.
Amanda
A
Newcity
Sonja
S
Ziniel
Howard
H
Needleman
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003815:Dentists; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D008404:Massachusetts; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires