Sexually harassed, beaten or neglected children can be diagnosed by a dentist. Why is the dentist very helpful in detecting harassment? Because he is the only doctor who has very close contact with a small patient - he can see his neck, face, and the condition of his teeth. The first conference on recognizing the symptoms of violence and child molestation was organized in Poland.
Casesphysical violenceandsexual harassmentdetected bydentistsagainst children
is a topic in Poland practically unknown. To familiarize dentists, the Ombudsman for Children, Marek Michalak, organized an international conference "The role of a dentist in identifying symptoms of violence against children, with particular emphasis on sexual abuse", which will be held as part of the Congress on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Polish Society of Dental Students. The conference took place in Wrocław on April 6, 2013.Conference "The role of a dentist in recognizing the symptoms of violence against children with particular emphasis on sexual abuse"
The role of dentists in detecting cases of violence and sexual harassment in children was discussed by experts from Scandinavian countries, which can be a model for the functioning of the system of recognizing cases of violence in doctor's offices. The Ombudsman for Children, Marek Michalak, first heard about the possibility of detecting cases of violence against children by dentists during the International Meeting of Ombudsmen for Children. Here is what he says on the subject - We must fight violence against children on all fronts. It turns out that dentists are also on the front line of people who can recognize it, although they probably often do not know about it. I want to help them acquire this knowledge and ask them to join the group of people and institutions that stand by the children.
We adopted modern methods of diagnosing harassment from Scandinavia
In Poland, awareness of the possibility that dentists can detect cases of violence, abuse and neglect of children is negligible, althoughas public officials, they have a duty to identify any signs of child abuse and report such cases to the appropriate services. Dental doctors are not familiar with this problem and procedures, and are afraid of the consequences of a possible misdiagnosis. They also often don't want to get too involved in patients' problems. However, it is their activity and sensitivity to signals from the patient and resulting from his or her he alth that may save the he alth or life of their patients.
Child abuse - physical signs of beating
All children should visit the dentist on a regular basis. Thanks to this, the doctor has excellent options for monitoring such a child. Young patients come to see parents who are unaware of the dentist's ability to recognize the symptoms of abuse and neglect. Therefore, the dentist has a good chance of detecting any symptoms. The dentist is in a very good position to visually assess the patient sitting in the chair, their face, neck and exposed parts of the body. When the dentist notices any unusual symptoms in the mouth, he may transfer the observation to the neck, throat or face, looking for other symptoms that could confirm the suspicion of violence. Importantly, the he alth of the mouth itself also varies and is dependent on the type of abuse, which makes the dentist's role in detecting abuse and harassment so important and unique.
Signs of abuse - what does the dentist see?
People abusing or abusing children often change their family doctor or pediatrician. However, they do not change the dentist, which means that they can observe the patient for a longer period of time. Apart from the symptoms of violence (injuries to the teeth, bones and mucous membranes), the dentist also has the opportunity to detect the symptoms of neglect in the form of plaque or gingivitis, untreated cavities in the teeth, etc. Fear and anxiety of the child in the chair or the parents' problems with coping with his behavior they may also indicate possible psychological violence against children. Missing appointments and carelessness of the oral cavity and teeth of children is also a reason for improper care of a child.
Press materials