Training experience and attitudes towards safeguarding children reported by dental students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Dental practitioners have ethical and legal responsibilities toward protecting children from child abuse and neglect (CAN). Training the dental team in safeguarding children is recommended, to be able to detect and report suspected child maltreatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess training experience of dental students in CAN and assess their attitudes towards the importance of safeguarding children. Methodology: A self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed by hand to both fourth and fifth year students in the College of Dentistry, King Saud University in Riyadh. The questionnaire included demographic questions, questions related to previous training in CAN, and attitudes of dental students towards CAN. Results: Only 141 dental students participated in this study. Around 7% of participants have had previous training in child protection. Only 5.5% from male students and 9% from female students had previous training in CAN. There were no significant differences between genders or between academic years in terms of having previous CAN training. However, 80.4% of dental students agreed that more training is required in this field. Conclusion: The results of this study show that there is an insisting need to include CAN training in undergraduate University courses for dental students.