Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Elder Abuse: Know the Basics
Role of Dental Professionals in Intimate Partner Violence

A majority of IPV cases include injuries and trauma to the neck and head. Dental professionals are in a unique position to encounter and examine such injuries.

Dental professionals are the least likely of all clinicians to suspect and intervene in IPV cases. Dental professionals report a variety of barriers to intervention including:

• limited knowledge and training about IPV issues,
• lack of practical experience on how to intervene,
• misconceptions about the nature of intervention,
• fear of being sued (which when done with good intentions and “reason to believe” is not an issue),
• lack of information on resources for reporting,
• presence of others in the examination room (including the patient’s partner or children),
• concerns about offending the patient, and
• embarrassment about bringing up the topic.