Farzana Kapadia, Deputy Editor at AJPH, is with the Department of Epidemiology, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY. Jacqueline Stevens is with the Department of Political Science and the Deportation Research Clinic, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Diana Silver is with the School of Global Public Health, New York University.
Am J Public Health. 2020 Dec;110(12):1786-1789. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305918. Epub 2020 Oct 15.
Unaccompanied migrant children seeking asylum status in the United States are often forced to undergo dental radiographs, or x-rays, to verify that they are younger than 18 years.The application of third molar dental radiographs is methodologically flawed and should not be employed as a determinant of chronological age. Furthermore, the use of such tests without obtaining informed consent from either the youth or an objective advocate is unethical.Finally, the legal and health consequences of these inappropriately applied tests are severe and jeopardize the safety and security of these vulnerable minors.
寻求在美国寻求庇护身份的无人陪伴的移民儿童通常被迫接受牙科射线照相术（或 X 光），以验证他们是否未满 18 岁。第三磨牙牙科射线照相术的应用在方法上存在缺陷，不应作为确定年龄的依据。此外，在未获得青少年或客观倡导者的知情同意的情况下使用此类测试是不道德的。最后，这些不适当应用的测试的法律和健康后果是严重的，危及这些弱势未成年人的安全和保障。
