At Glow, we’re working hard to educate the public and professionals, to identify the signs of abuse.

Our specialist teams are currently training dentists to identify the signs of abuse and safely respond to disclosures from their patients.

On average, 75% of injuries inflicted through domestic abuse affect the head and neck, areas which dentists see whilst doing routine check-ups. This means that dental teams are in a unique position when it comes to spotting the signs of abuse.

We’re helping dental staff to recognise these signs, ‘ask the question’ if they are worried about a patient and safely respond to disclosures.

All our training is delivered by specialist Glow staff with knowledge and experience of working with victims and perpetrators of abusive behaviour.

Hayley Ferns, Team Leader at Glow, said: “The whole dental team are in a really unique position to spot domestic abuse and respond to disclosures.

“We know that many domestic abuse injuries occur to the head and neck, and dentists see these areas up close during routine check-ups.

“But each member of the dental team has an important role to play, by observing any changes in health or behaviour that can be seen as an indicator of domestic abuse.

“Staff often form long-lasting relationships with patients, with many attending the same practice for several years.

“Every victim of domestic abuse deserves the right response at the right time, to keep them safe. With the right information and tools, we know that dentists will be better equipped to ‘ask the question’ and signpost patients to support.

“I’m really proud that we are able to deliver this training to so many dental professionals. We can already see the positive difference that it’s having which is amazing.

“We want to get more dental practices on board and spread the word to help more victims of domestic abuse.”

This January, we’re relaunching our Here to Help Award. This will see dentists complete training to receive accreditation as a safe environment where patients can disclose abuse.

For more information about our dentistry training, visit our website or email [email protected].