Legal Responsibilities

Each state generally has specific mandatory maltreatment reporting laws for children and for elders (sometimes categorized as vulnerable adults). General domestic violence reporting laws, including IPV, are different. These mandatory reporting have not been adopted in all states. “Although the intent of mandatory reporting is to identify and protect individuals before the next act of violence, the individual’s safety, in fact, may be jeopardized” and because of this, some states have eliminated mandatory reporting unless there are special circumstances.²⁸ To reiterate, depending on the state, a dental professional may have the legal responsibility to report suspected IPV no matter who the victim may be. If your state mandates reporting and if you do not report suspected abuse, your dental license or fines may be at stake.

To learn if your state has mandatory reporting requirements for adult abuse cases, contact your Department of Human Services in your state or your city/ county’s Adult Protection Services.²⁹ You may also go to your state IPV/Domestic Violence Coalition site for the most up to date reporting information.