A female patient comes for a filling. At the next appointment, she has bruises on her eye and lip. What should the dentist do?

Correct answer: A. Ask the patient directly what happened and document in the chart

• A. ✅ Correct. The dentist should ask the patient privately and non-judgmentally about the injuries, then thoroughly document findings in the patient record. This is the proper protocol for suspected domestic violence.
• B. ❌ Ignoring signs of potential domestic violence violates the dentist's ethical and legal duty of care.
• C. ❌ Mandatory reporting for adult domestic violence varies by jurisdiction; the first step is direct inquiry and documentation.
• D. ❌ Delegating the inquiry to staff is inappropriate; the dentist must address this directly.

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