U.K. dentists asked to report child neglect

The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry is urging dentists to look for signs that children are neglected or abused.

Dental neglect can suggest a wider pattern of neglect, and dentists should refer cases to child protection services if they suspect such a problem, according to a new policy document developed through a collaboration among the University of Warwick, the University of Sheffield, and the Leeds Dental Institute.

"There is evidence which indicates that abused children have higher levels of untreated dental disease than their nonabused peers," said Peter Sidebotham, MBChB, an associate professor of child health at the University of Warwick and a co-author of the document, in a press release. "Many dentists have taken part in child protection training, but still find it difficult to put into practice what they have learned when they suspect abuse."

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