Can Oral Health Reveal Child Abuse?

TOPLINE:

Researchers detail best practices for pediatricians in evaluating dental indications of child abuse and how to work with other physicians to detect and report these incidents.

METHODOLOGY:

• Approximately 323,000 children in the United States were identified as having experienced physical abuse in 2006, the most recent year evaluated, according to the Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect.
• One in seven children in the United States are abused or neglected each year; craniofacial, head, face, and neck injuries occur in more than half of child abuse cases.
• Children with orofacial and torso bruising who are younger than age 4 years are at risk for future, more serious abuse.
• Child trafficking survivors are twice as likely to have dental issues due to poor nutrition and inadequate care.

TAKEAWAY:

• In cases of possible oral sexual abuse, physicians should perform sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and document incidents to support forensic investigations.
• Pediatricians should consult with forensic pediatric dentists or child abuse specialists for assistance in evaluating bitemarks or any other indications of abuse.
• If a parent fails to seek treatment for a child’s oral or dental disease after detection, pediatricians should report the case to child protective services regarding concerns of dental neglect.
• Because trafficked children may receive medical or dental care while in captivity, physicians should use screening tools to identify children at-risk of trafficking, regardless of gender.
• Physicians should be mindful of having a bias against reporting because of sharing a similar background to the parents or other caregivers of a child who is suspected of experiencing abuse.

IN PRACTICE:

“Pediatric dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons, whose advanced education programs include a mandated child abuse curriculum, can provide valuable information and assistance to other health care providers about oral and dental aspects of child abuse and neglect,” the study authors wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Anupama Rao Tate, DMD, MPH, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and was published online in Pediatrics.

LIMITATIONS:

No limitations were reported.

DISCLOSURES:

Susan A. Fischer-Owens reported financial connections with Colgate. No other disclosures were reported.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.