Resumo

SILVA JUNIOR, Manoelito Ferreira; PAGEL, Manoela Dalvi; CAMPOS, Denise Maria Kroeff de Souza  e  MIOTTO, Maria Helena Monteiro de Barros. Knowledge of dental students about child maltreatment. Arq. Odontol. [online]. 2015, vol.51, n.3, pp. 138-144. ISSN 1516-0939.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of dental students about child abuse. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 100 students from the 5th to 9th semesters of the Dentistry course of the Federal University of Espírito Santo. Inclusion criteria included students duly enrolled in the second semester of 2010. Data were collected using a self-managed questionnaire, which had been previously validated, with open and closed questions relating to child abuse. A descriptive analysis was performed by absolute and relative frequency. Results: Although 74% of the students reported that the proper conduct of mistreatment of suspected cases is to file a report at the respective Tutelary Council or Police Station, a minority (4%) said it would denounce the suspect. Only 30% of dental students said that the head and neck region is the most affected in cases of child abuse. A total of 9.26% of the students said they would only be able to identify a case of maltreatment if the patient gave an account of his/her story. Most of the students (74%) said they had not received information about child abuse in the undergraduate program, while another 96% considers it important to receive this knowledge and 94% reported willingness to learn more on this topic. Conclusion: Most dental students showed a deficient knowledge about child abuse. It is necessary to better approach the subject during the academic background of the dentistry course, to best prepare a professional for proper conduct in suspected cases of child abuse.

Palavras-chave : Child abuse.; Violence.; Dentistry..