Ireland

‘The injuries I saw were like any victim of a car crash,’ says dentist honoured for fighting domestic violence

Pádraig O’Reachtagáin, who helped a patient escape an abusive relationship, describes his experiences

Co Tipperary dentist Pádraig O’Reachtagáin. Photograph: Maxwells

Vivienne Clarke
Tue Dec 10 2019 - 13:49

A Co Tipperary dentist who was honoured at an awards ceremony for helping a patient to escape an abusive relationship after treating her broken tooth has spoken of what happened.

Pádraig O’Reachtagáin was named dentist of the year for the “compassionate treatment” he provided to a woman who was injured in a domestic violence incident.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said Dr O’Reachtagáin not only repaired her broken tooth but also showed her and her children a way out of a violent situation, according to the organisers of the award.

“Pádraig opened up his practice on a Saturday morning just to treat me at much expense to himself I am sure. He was caring, compassionate and also advised me on the avenues I could go down to get myself and my children into a much safer environment,” she said.

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On Tuesday Mr O’Reachtagáin told the Ryan Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 he realised when he was treating the woman that she was someone going through a difficult time.

“As the consultation progressed it became clear she had no confidante, she had never spoken to anyone about many years of domestic violence.”

Mr O’Reachtagáin said because it was a Saturday and he had no other patients they sat together and she “chose to tell me what happened”.

“We had many visits to deal with her dental problems, the story was expanded upon at each visit; it seems the chats were the catalyst that caused her to take the action to keep her family safe.”

Mr O’Reachtagáin said he bought his own practice in the east end of London and that it was there he was first exposed to domestic violence.

“The language wasn’t as politically correct in those days. Ladies were referred to as battered wives – close to my practice there was a refuge for battered wives, where women from all over the country, who were at immediate serious risk, were brought. The location was never known to me, it was kept secret.

“These women were brought in to me if they had dental injuries because I was the nearest dentist,” he said.

‘Beaten black and blue’

Mr O’Reachtagáin said in 1998 a woman in her 70s who said she was from an aristocratic background arrived in his surgery.

“She had been beaten black and blue all over with one of those walking canes that posh people carry with the ball at the top rather than a handle – she had broken a denture, so we fixed the denture for her.

“I was told a few days later that she’d passed away; she told me while she was in with me that all her married life had been like that.”

Mr O’Reachtagáin said he never forgot that woman, and ever since I am “inclined to inquire gently about an injury”.

“I ask if it was a gardening incident or whatever. I think it’s important that we should show concern about any injury that we see. To give people an opportunity to tell you about it, if that’s what they want to do.

“The injuries I saw were varied, [like] any victim of a car crash that you see in hospital or on TV. They come in like that, black eyes, broken noses, dried blood on the wounds that have been inflicted on them because they haven’t been to the hospital yet.

“It was the sort of stuff we dentists deal with on an occasional basis in terms of accidents, but in these circumstances there was an extra dimension to it because you knew someone had done that deliberately,” Mr O’Reachtagáin said.

Mr O’Reachtagáin said if a woman over the age of 16 presents with injuries and he suspects she has been the victim of an assault, he has no legal recourse, nor has he any legal responsibility to take any action.

However, in the case of a 14-year-old, for example, Mr O’Reachtagáin said he has a legal duty to report a suspected case of child abuse.

“My clinical responsibility extends to treating those injuries . . . you got to talk to the person and see where it’s going to go.”

‘Most men would run for cover’

“Yesterday afternoon, a long-standing patient of mine, a really lovely lady, who knew the story, said: ‘you were so brave’.

“I said I don’t get that bit, I did what was right, gave advice. ‘No’, she said. ‘You don’t get it: you’re a man, most men would run for cover in that situation.’ That was the most seminal thing anyone,” said to me.

“It resonated so much as it was a point of view I’d never thought about or considered. She also told me the lady was absolutely incredible because it’s so embarrassing to talk about it.

“I can’t get my head around this. Why would it be embarrassing . . . because she would see it as a failure on her part that caused the problem in the first place? I was totally blown away with that. No one would see it as a failure that they were getting beaten up on a regular basis just for being there.”

Mr O’Reachtagáin said he later moved to Ireland so his children could go to school here.

Being father to two daughters and brother to four sisters, my life has been surrounded by women. My father asked me on Sunday “where did you get the compassion from?”

“I’m not here because I did anything wonderful. I’m here because I was a conduit which helped one of my patients. That’s what we do every day. I’m delighted that we get an opportunity occasionally to present the positive side of dentistry. This is one of those circumstances.

“Patients will never remember us for a brilliant crown, a lovely denture. They will remember us for a kind word or a little chat after someone’s spouse has died, someone you knew. They remember the kindness.

Thankful

“Afterwards [at the awards ceremomy] 50 young dentists came up to me and used the word ‘inspirational’, and that word meant so much to me because it’s so important that young dentists get an opportunity to understand empathy and how to express it properly.

“On the day they get their certificate they walk out into the wide world, no further mentoring, training, no vocational training, and they’re exposed all the difficult problems in the world.”

Mr O’Reachtagáin also said he had received a phone call from a woman in the west of Ireland. “She went to the trouble of finding my practice number [and] said she had experienced domestic violence with an alcoholic father all through their childhood. She said ‘don’t forget domestic abuse in front of children lives with them all their lives’.”

Mr O’Reachtagáin thanked the “hundreds of people who made comments on the Irish Times Facebook page, the messages from friends and family . This has gone way beyond what I thought it was”.

Mr O’Reachtagáin also thanked the woman who nominated him for the award. “She is the hero in this. All I was was the cable that allowed her to get to where she is now. So thankful that she’s safe. I am so happy that she can now get on with her life.”

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