DentaltownUK April 2018 - 12

What is the role of the dental team?

What can we do to help?

The head, neck and face are the most common sites
of assault; dentists regularly examine these sites and
deal with facial/dental injuries. Subsequently, dental
care professionals have a part to play in the issue of
domestic violence.
Dentists have an opportunity to see patients regularly,
often unaccompanied, in an environment that is less
stigmatising that other statutory services. This can create
an opportunity for patients to reveal domestic abuse and
ask for help. It's important that we support and advise
our patients appropriately.

'Asking' may be enough to encourage victims to
seek help; many studies have shown that victims have
not been asked about signs of abuse by their dentist.
It's important to remember that it's not our role to
advise what direct action a patient should take, and it
is important that all staff members who interact with
patients get appropriate training.
The 'AVDR model' was developed by Dr. Barbara
Gerbert and her co-workers at the University of California,
San Francisco, School of Dentistry and has been adapted
and used in Scotland.
Remember: When working with victims, it's is
important to be confident, supportive and nonjudgmental,
and to express concern without accusation or being
patronising.

The role of the dental team in
responding to domestic violence
Under CQC and GDC standards, we have a responsibility to raise concerns about possible abuse and to
know about local procedures and whom to contact for
further advice, as well as how to refer concerns.

Apply the Standards
in your daily work

Guidance
The Department of Health has produced guidance
'Domestic abuse: a resource for health professionals'. It has
a section for health practitioners detailing what we need
to know and do. It references the NICE guidelines on
domestic violence and abuse, and provides helpful advice
for dental practitioners, e.g. what to include in notes.
NICE guidelines state that dentists should have
Level 1 training on the awareness of domestic violence
and abuse. This includes:
* Staff should be trained to respond to a disclosure
of domestic violence and abuse sensitively, and in
a way that ensures people's safety.
* They should also be able to direct people to
specialist services.
Level 1 training can be delivered mostly online or by
distance learning.

We are Medics Against Violence

A call to action for DentaltownUK readers
You can be proactive and help raise awareness among
your own dental teams by sharing the information in this
article. This will mean a greater number of professionals
can be more confident when dealing with these situations
should they ever arise.
You could also:
* Identify local services, and put together a policy
or protocol for team members to follow if a service
is not available.
* Make simple posters and cards with telephone
numbers of specialist services or 'help lines' that
can be displayed in the waiting room or given
to patients. Examples of some useful contacts
for posters/cards include the 24-hour National
Domestic Violence Freephone Helpline (0808
2000 247); the Women's Aid Federation of
England and Helpline, which both help staff the
National Domestic Violence Helpline.

Domestic violence and
abuse overview

Together we can help our profession become more willing to raise the issue of domestic violence and give
more victims the chance to seek help. ■

APRIL 2018 // dentaltownuk.com

http://www.dentaltownuk.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK April 2018