Department of Dental Medicine, Division of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; Centre for Clinical Research Sörmland, Uppsala University, Eskilstuna, Sweden.
Child Abuse Negl. 2018 Feb;76:515-523. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.11.017. Epub 2017 Dec 30.
Child abuse and neglect (CAN) are likely to have negative consequences on health; however, for oral health, studies on associated outcomes are sparse. The purpose of this study was to assess oral health and oral health behaviors in relation to suspected CAN among children being investigated by the Swedish Social Services. The material comprised data from the Social Services and dental records; the sample, 86 children and 172 matched controls. The children in the study group had a higher prevalence of dental caries than the control group; in addition, levels of non-attendance and dental avoidance were high, as was parental failure to promote good oral health. We found four factors that, taken together, indicated a high probability of being investigated because of suspected CAN: prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth, fillings in permanent teeth, dental health service avoidance, and referral to specialist pediatric dentistry clinics. If all four factors were present, the cumulative probability of being investigated was 0.918. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of dental caries, irregular attendance, and a need for referral a pediatric dental clinic among Swedish children under investigation due to suspected CAN. Social context is an important factor in assessing the risk of developing dental caries, the inclination to follow treatment plans, and the prerequisites for cooperation during treatment. Routinely requesting dental records during an investigation would provide important information for social workers on parental skills and abilities to fulfill the basic needs of children.
儿童虐待和忽视（CAN）可能对健康产生负面影响；然而，对于口腔健康，与疑似 CAN 相关的研究结果很少。本研究的目的是评估与瑞典社会服务机构调查的疑似 CAN 相关的儿童的口腔健康和口腔健康行为。该材料包括社会服务和牙科记录的数据；样本包括 86 名儿童和 172 名匹配的对照组。研究组儿童的龋齿患病率高于对照组；此外，缺课和回避看牙医的比例很高，父母未能促进良好的口腔健康。我们发现了四个因素，它们共同表明由于疑似 CAN 而被调查的可能性很高：乳牙龋齿的患病率、恒牙的填充物、牙科保健服务的回避以及转诊到专门的儿科牙科诊所。如果所有四个因素都存在，被调查的累积概率为 0.918。总之，在瑞典，由于疑似 CAN 而接受调查的儿童中，龋齿的患病率很高，缺课情况不规则，需要转诊到儿科牙科诊所。社会背景是评估患龋齿风险、遵循治疗计划的倾向以及治疗过程中合作的前提的一个重要因素。在调查期间例行要求提供牙科记录，可以为社会工作者提供有关父母技能和能力的重要信息，以满足儿童的基本需求。
