Background Child maltreatment impacts the social, physiological, and psychological well-being of affected children, resulting in both short- and long-term consequences. Despite the obligation of dental health personnel to report suspected cases to child welfare services (CWS) or other appropriate authorities, various barriers hinder reporting, leading to underreporting. This scoping review aims to explore the factors that inhibit reporting of child maltreatment among dental health personnel by addressing the following research questions: <UnorderedList Mark="None"> <ItemContent> 1. Which factors inhibit reporting of child maltreatment among dental health personnel? </ItemContent> <ItemContent> 2. To what degree do dental health personnel fail to report suspected cases of child maltreatment to CWS? </ItemContent> </UnorderedList> Methods A scoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Studies were retrieved by performing systematic searches of PubMed, Embase (Ovid), SveMed+, Idunn and The Norwegian Dental Journal (Den norske tannlegeforenings Tidende) for articles published from 2013 to October 2024. Results Of 303 identified articles, 34 were included in this review. Identified barriers to reporting child maltreatment among dental health personnel included diagnostic uncertainty, lack of knowledge, and fear of consequences. Targeted education and training programs were shown to improve reporting behaviors. However, overall reporting rates remain low, while the prevalence of failure to report suspected cases of child maltreatment was consistently high across the reviewed studies. These findings underscore the need for continued efforts to address the barriers to report. Conclusion This study highlights key barriers faced by dental health personnel in reporting child maltreatment, such as diagnostic uncertainty, lack of knowledge, and fear of consequences. Alarmingly, a significant portion of dental health personnel fail to report suspected cases, perpetuating underreporting. This failure not only delays critical intervention but also allows the maltreatment to continue, compounding harm to vulnerable children. Addressing these reporting barriers is imperative to ensure that dental health professionals are equipped to fulfill their safeguarding role effectively. Future research should focus on closing knowledge gaps, expanding geographical representation, and standardizing reporting protocols to create a more robust and responsive reporting system. Trial registration The project protocol for this review was preregistered on OSF, accessible via the following registration DOI <a href="https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RBG2H">https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RBG2H</a>.

Factors that inhibit reporting of child maltreatment among dental health personnel – a scoping review

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2025年12月16日

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Eline Hokstad,
Anca Virtej,
Ingfrid Vaksdal Brattabø

摘要

Background

Child maltreatment impacts the social, physiological, and psychological well-being of affected children, resulting in both short- and long-term consequences. Despite the obligation of dental health personnel to report suspected cases to child welfare services (CWS) or other appropriate authorities, various barriers hinder reporting, leading to underreporting. This scoping review aims to explore the factors that inhibit reporting of child maltreatment among dental health personnel by addressing the following research questions:

1. Which factors inhibit reporting of child maltreatment among dental health personnel?

2. To what degree do dental health personnel fail to report suspected cases of child maltreatment to CWS?

Methods

A scoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Studies were retrieved by performing systematic searches of PubMed, Embase (Ovid), SveMed+, Idunn and The Norwegian Dental Journal (Den norske tannlegeforenings Tidende) for articles published from 2013 to October 2024.

Results

Of 303 identified articles, 34 were included in this review. Identified barriers to reporting child maltreatment among dental health personnel included diagnostic uncertainty, lack of knowledge, and fear of consequences. Targeted education and training programs were shown to improve reporting behaviors. However, overall reporting rates remain low, while the prevalence of failure to report suspected cases of child maltreatment was consistently high across the reviewed studies. These findings underscore the need for continued efforts to address the barriers to report.

Conclusion

This study highlights key barriers faced by dental health personnel in reporting child maltreatment, such as diagnostic uncertainty, lack of knowledge, and fear of consequences. Alarmingly, a significant portion of dental health personnel fail to report suspected cases, perpetuating underreporting. This failure not only delays critical intervention but also allows the maltreatment to continue, compounding harm to vulnerable children. Addressing these reporting barriers is imperative to ensure that dental health professionals are equipped to fulfill their safeguarding role effectively. Future research should focus on closing knowledge gaps, expanding geographical representation, and standardizing reporting protocols to create a more robust and responsive reporting system.

Trial registration

The project protocol for this review was preregistered on OSF, accessible via the following registration DOI https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RBG2H.