![]() ![]() Oro-facial manifestations of physical abuse include bruising, abrasions or lacerations of tongue, lips, oral mucosa, hard and soft palate, gingiva, alveolar mucosa, frenum dental fractures, dental dislocations, dental avulsions maxilla and mandible fractures ( 12 – 15). ![]() Integumentary injuries are predominantly ecchymosis and excoriations, among them frequently associated lacerated and contused injuries and abrasions.Įcchymosis can be produced by a natural contused way (slaps, fits, bites), rigid or semi-rigid instruments with impacting surface more or less regular (rods, household utensils, flatware, ladles) and ligature instruments (shoelaces, band-aid, muzzles, belts) ( 11). Physical abuse (Battered Child Syndrome) is done usually through blunt force trauma of different morphology, voluntarily inflicted according to different procedures ( 11). reported that the cases with intraoral injuries, 43% were contusions and ecchymosis, 28,5% were abrasions and lacerations and 28,5% were dental trauma ( 9). In a survey of 1155 primarily pediatric dentists, it was found that the principal oral injuries in cases of suspected child abuse, in describing order of frequency, were tooth fracture (32%), oral bruises (24%), oral lacerations (14%), fractures of the mandible or maxilla (11%) and oral burns (5%) ( 9). reported oro-facial trauma in 49% of 260 documented cases of child abuse 61% of these injuries were to the face, 33% head injuries and 6% were in the oral cavity ( 9). Thus Cameron et al., studying fatal cases, found that approximately half had facial injuries ( 8). Several studies in the literature have shown that oral or facial trauma occurs in about 50% of physically abused children ( 7 – 10). It is a question of data that understate this problem, due to the lack of medical assessments and post-mortem routine evaluations ( 5).Ībout a data of other non-fatal forms of violence, they come from other sources (legal and judicial records, population’s data, service’s reports, retrospective research) not always comparable, but anyway a description adequately reliable above all where at least a national record exists, capable of give an interpretation methodologically uniform ( 6). World Health Organization has estimated that nearly 57.000 children under 15 years old are dead because of child abuse and the fringe mainly on risk is between 0 and 4 years old, with a number of deceases more than twice the amount of children between 5 and 14 years. The aim of this report is to identify the main oral and dental aspects of physical and sexual abuse and dental neglect in childhood, contributing to the precocious identification and diagnosis in a dental practice. It has been defined “child abuse” as any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical, sexual or emotional health and development ( 4). “Battered Child Syndrome” nowadays, forms a nosological entity multiform and complex due to the variability of etiopathological factors and clinical manifestations ( 1). Such definition indicated only physical violence aspects towards children and was later modified with one definition even more complete “Child Abuse and Neglect”, that includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect ( 3). If you notice a child experiencing several of the symptoms listened below, you should talk to your child.The recognition of children maltreatment as a social pathology is on account of Caffey, American Radiologist and Pediatrician, later to Silverman in 1953 and to Kempe who, in 1962, with the definition of “Battered Child Syndrome” described an accurate nosological entity of physical maltreatment ( 1, 2). ![]() Signs of sexual abuse are not always clear, however, there are signs that may indicate a child is experiencing abuse. ![]()
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