Definition of Dental Neglect

Inaction is the worst option that could be chosen in cases of dental neglect (11). Intervention is not only the responsibility of a particular individual or groups, but rather a common public challenge (10, 22, 23). Three main interventions that should be performed once a case of dental neglect has been identified are: advice on the practice of oral hygiene, referral to receive and follow dental services, and finally the broader assessment of neglect. If a child suffers from severe untreated dental caries or toothache and the parents do not meet the child`s treatment needs, referral is indicated (8). The number of studies initially selected was 46. Eleven studies were excluded because they had misleading titles or abstracts or did not meet the inclusion criteria. Three articles that did not apply the universal definition of childhood dental neglect were also omitted. In addition, two studies were excluded in which more than one reviewer was used without inter-assessor calibration and reliability. Thus, the total number of included studies was 30.

On his next exam, he was fine, but he was not taken to subsequent follow-up appointments. After not getting an answer to our letters and calls, we made a home visit and found a mother not at home, but four children taken care of by a teenage babysitter who spoke to us on the doorstep. There were bags of garbage not picked up in the front yard. I was concerned that he might be at risk of being injured due to neglect, so I spoke by phone with his special school (where we had already had contact through an established toothbrushing and dental screening program) and his GP. We agreed that I would do a child protection transfer (escalation to a level 3 response). Child neglect is a significant problem in terms of prevalence and severity – it is the most common reason for a child to be subject to a child protection plan in the UK – and there is undeniable evidence that it is harmful to children [1-4]. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) study on child abuse in the UK found that one in ten young adults had experienced serious neglect as a child [5]. Neglect is defined as the persistent failure to meet a child`s basic physical and/or psychological needs that is likely to result in serious harm to the child`s health or development [6].

A number of adverse health effects related to neglect are significantly demonstrated in prospective and retrospective studies [7]. Disruption of attachment patterns and neurobiological signaling pathways means that neglected children carry a burden of long-term consequences into adulthood; and perhaps to future generations. The economic burden of abuse on the United Kingdom is enormous, with particular long-term consequences for health and social services and the criminal justice system [8, 9]. However, it is not only the United Kingdom: in the United States, the annual cost to taxpayers through negligence is estimated at more than $100 billion [10]. Child neglect also accounts for the majority of all cases of abuse. In 2010-2011, almost half (42%) of all entries in child protection registers in Scotland were for child victims of physical neglect [11], and similar trends can be observed in the rest of the UK [12], Canada [13], the US [14] and Australia [14]. Child neglect receives less attention than sexual or physical abuse (neglect of neglect). Early intervention is crucial, but recognition and response to neglect remain inconsistent. Public health nurses assess oral health through proxy measures, opportunistic observations, and discussions with parents. Dental neglect is rarely an isolated problem that, on its own, leads to a reference to child protection. It is usually other descriptive problems that trigger a reaction. Targeted support thresholds were based on two broad indicators: social issues and concerns about the dental health of children (and parents).

The thresholds for child protection measures were untreated tooth decay or severe toothache. Barriers to intervention are that dental neglect can be “invisible” and “tacit.” The study found a communication gap in the children`s care pathway that identified a significant dental problem. Child neglect is described as the deliberate inability of parents or others in positions of trust to provide basic child care (1, 5-7). Child neglect is an important issue in terms of prevalence, incidence and consequences (1, 8). This is a serious problem related to children as the most vulnerable population group (9). The consequences can be actual or potential (10). It can come from ethnic, racial, socio-economic, cultural, religious and educational backgrounds (9,11-13). Despite its high prevalence, it is the least diagnosed (9, 14, 15). The risk of adult health consequences, such as lung disease, diabetes and oral health problems, is higher among victims of child neglect (16). Dental neglect is defined by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) as the inability of caregivers to meet the requirements of proper oral function by seeking timely dental treatment services necessary to be free of pain and infection (1, 8, 17, 18). Victims often show changes in behavior. However, it is likely that dental neglect in children is a problem of isolation; It is known to be an appropriate indicator of other types of neglect (8, 19).

Repetition of general anesthesia for tooth extractions It is interesting to note that the public health nurses in our study used front teeth as indicators of dental health. The prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) (formerly known as lactating bottle caries) appears to be decreasing, but it is still seen in children in Scotland [37]. The American Dental Association (www.ada.org/2057.aspx) defines it as the presence of one or more decayed, missing, or filled dental surfaces in preschoolers. It often turns out that the front teeth are very decayed, often as a result of a sweet substance that is placed in the child`s bottle. However, for the majority of children with cavities, it is most often distributed at the back of the mouth, in the molars. In addition, most abscesses/swellings and sinuses around the molars and due to padded soft tissue of the cheeks around this area are difficult to detect without a clinical examination in the child`s mouth.