Comparative cross-sectional study assessing specialized and general dentist readiness and barriers in performing routine domestic violence screening

Domestic violence is a global public health issue with rising prevalence rates and varying risk factors. It is common for domestic violence victims to be seen by dental health care providers, therefore, dentists' ability to identify victims might help to address this problem. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Domestic Violence Healthcare Providers Survey (DVHPS). This is a validated and structured questionnaire consists of 7 domains considered as potential facilitators and barriers for any health care provider to conduct domestic violence screening. The objective of this study was to evaluate the readiness of the practicing dentists to implement routine domestic violence screening in dental settings and to identify possible barriers to its implementation. Dentists included in this study were recruited from the western province in Saudi Arabia, which includes 3 major metropolitan cities. Out of 491 dentists were approached, a total of 400 dentists participated in this study with a response rate of 81.46%. All study subjects were enrolled through probability sampling using a disproportionate stratified random sampling technique to recruit an equal number of general and specialized dentists. The sex distribution was 53% and 47% for male and female dentists, respectively. The mean age of the study participants was 46.31 years, with an average dental work experience of 12.6 years. More than half of the study participants (58%) routinely screened their patients for domestic violence in their dental clinic. However, specialized and general dentists were comparable in terms of training in identifying domestic violence. Routine domestic violence screening was more common among general dentists than among specialized dentists. The current study suggested adequate readiness of general and specialized dentists to implement routine domestic violence screening for all patients. Specialized dentists showed less inclination to perform domestic violence screening on a routine basis due to several prominent barriers. These barriers were self-efficacy and professional role resistance. Education and reinforcement of the importance and high demand for domestic violence screening could encourage the dental community to embrace domestic violence screening as an integral part of routine dental examination.