Recognizing Signs of Child Maltreatment
Dental hygienists play an important role in identifying child abuse and neglect, and need to know effective strategies for assessment and reporting.
Child abuse and neglect have no boundaries, impacting those of all cultural, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. Dental hygienists should be prepared to recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect, due to the unique nature of their patient relationships and their close proximity to the head and oral cavity, where most traumatic injuries occur.1
Typically, dental hygienists build trusting relationships with their patients; this may enable patients to open up about abuse. Generally, victims return to the same dental practice, giving the clinicians an opportunity to recognize signs and symptoms of abuse relatively sooner than other healthcare professionals...
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Child abuse and neglect have no boundaries, impacting those of all cultural, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds. Dental hygienists should be prepared to recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect, due to the unique nature of their patient relationships and their close proximity to the head and oral cavity, where most traumatic injuries occur.1
Typically, dental hygienists build trusting relationships with their patients; this may enable patients to open up about abuse. Generally, victims return to the same dental practice, giving the clinicians an opportunity to recognize signs and symptoms of abuse relatively sooner than other healthcare professionals...
Click Here to Read More