Division of Child Abuse Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Children's Hospital of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Dent Traumatol. 2024 Mar;40 Suppl 2:10-17. doi: 10.1111/edt.12852. Epub 2023 May 25.
The recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect continues to be a challenge in the healthcare setting. All healthcare providers, including dentists, should be aware of the high prevalence of orofacial injuries and conditions that are concerning for abuse and neglect. Sentinel injuries may appear trivial and do not require medical attention, but are unlikely caused by accidental mechanisms and, if not properly identified, often precede more severe abusive injuries. Concerning orofacial findings can manifest as bruising, eye injuries, intraoral injuries, pharyngeal perforations, facial bone fractures, and sexually transmitted infections. Abusive caregivers are likely to give inadequate explanations or no history at all to explain concerning findings. Medical providers' failure to make mandated reports about their concerns to the appropriate agencies can have significant long-term impacts on the physical and psychological well-being of children.
在医疗保健环境中，识别和报告虐待和忽视儿童的问题仍然具有挑战性。所有医疗保健提供者，包括牙医，都应该意识到口腔颌面部损伤和状况的高发生率，这些损伤和状况令人担忧，可能是虐待和忽视造成的。哨兵损伤可能看起来微不足道，不需要医疗关注，但不太可能由意外机制引起，如果没有正确识别，通常会先于更严重的虐待性损伤。令人担忧的口腔颌面部表现可能包括瘀伤、眼部损伤、口腔内损伤、咽穿孔、面骨骨折和性传播感染。虐待儿童的照顾者可能会给出不充分的解释，或者根本不提供任何历史记录来解释这些令人担忧的发现。医疗保健提供者未能向有关机构报告他们的担忧，这可能会对儿童的身心健康产生重大的长期影响。
