Patient aggression toward dentists.

Background: Workplace violence toward health care professionals is both widespread and widely overlooked. Only 4 studies of aggression toward dentists have been published-none in the United States-with the prevalence of aggression ranging from 29% through 80%. The purpose of this study was to provide an initial estimate of rates of patient aggression in dental practices in the United States.

Patient aggression toward dental students.

Aggression from patients is one of the risks faced by healthcare workers during a typical work week. This risk begins during training. Although rates of patient aggression have been estimated for nursing students and medical residents, studies of aggression toward dental students have not been conducted.