Enhancing the Dental Professional's Responsiveness Towards Domestic Violence; A Cross-Sectional Study.
BACKGROUND
Dentists may be the first health care professionals to treat patients who have experienced Oro-facial trauma resulting from Domestic violence (DV). Hence, as a national health concern, it challenges the social responsibility of a dentist in bringing down its prevalence.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the knowledge of Domestic violence among dentists of Karnataka.


METHODS
A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among dentists of Karnataka to know their knowledge, its relation to dentistry and measures they practice to bring down the prevalence of DV victims.


RESULTS
Overall knowledge about DV was very less among the dentists & out of 64% who said the dentist has a role in bringing down the prevalence, 28% reported the need for training.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on analysis of the data, dentists were interested and would benefit from additional education opportunities concerning recognizing, referring and managing patients who may be the victim of domestic violence in order to enhance their role.
Reader, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Sri Siddhartha Dental College , Tumkur, India .
Halappa
H
Mythri
Principal & HOD, Department of Prosthodontics, Sri Siddhartha Dental College , Tumkur, India .
Korpathi R
KR
Kashinath
Reader, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Coorg Institute of Dental Sciences , Virajpet, India .
Ananda S
AS
Raju
Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, School of Dental Sciences , Karad, Satara, Maharastra, India .
K V
KV
Suresh
HOD, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Sri Siddhartha Dental College , Tumkur, India .
Jayanna V
JV
Bharateesh
AVDR technique; Counselling; Dental abuse