Child abuse and neglect: assessment of dental students' attitudes and knowledge

Although many North American dental schools have increased their curriculum hours dedicated to the issue of child maltreatment, the majority of schools still allocate only one to two clock hours for this subject. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the self-perceived knowledge of and attitude toward child abuse and neglect, of undergraduate dental students at the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston, as well as the effectiveness of the various educational methods used in the instruction of this material. Students in general, recognized a need for improvement of both the quality and quantity of this aspect of their undergraduate curriculum. The results indicate, however, that the child maltreatment curriculum at this institution had minimal effect on the acquisition and retention of information related to this subject. Dental educators have the responsibility to see that their students are competent, not only in the technical aspects of dentistry, but in their social responsibilities, as well. The ability to recognize suspected cases of child maltreatment is such a responsibility.