Dentists are expected to raise their concerns about possible neglect or abuse in children. The finding of this study would suggest that reporting levels are low, although awareness of child protection issues has increased.
Children identified a need for better information, and a desire to be involved in decision-making. However, there are considerable challenges to overcome in trying to engage with children without increasing their anxiety levels, or conflicting with parents' views about what is best for their child.
Article
Dentists are in a position to identify and report abuse and neglect in their young patients. In 2005, Cairns and colleagues (Int J Paed Dent 2005; 15: 310–318) published a study exploring the role of general dental practitioners (GDPs) in child protection in Scotland. In this follow-up investigation, the same questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1,215 GDPs in Scotland in March 2010, with a response rate of 52%. Over a third of the respondents had suspected abuse or neglect in at least one of their paediatric patients. However, only 11% had reported their concerns about a child to the appropriate agencies. The most common reasons cited for a failure to refer were: a lack of certainty about the diagnosis (88%); a fear of consequences for the child from the involvement of statutory agencies (52%); and fear of litigation (48%). The majority of respondents had received some postgraduate child protection training, and 78% wanted further training on how to refer a child they had concerns about. Promisingly, 73% of GDPs reported that they would be willing to get involved in detecting neglect in young patients. Since the original study in 2005, the authors suggest that there has been an increase in awareness and child protection referrals by GDPs in Scotland.
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