Care for children with dental neglect: identification of problems and approaches to solving them

Abstract

Dental neglect may have serious consequences for children's health. Moreover, it may indicate general negligence and it can be associated with child abuse. Therefore, a highly professional case management is of utmost importance, but also poses a great challenge for dentists. In order to develop effective strategies for an optimization of dental care in cases of dental neglect, a better understanding of the situation, and in particular an investigation into the unsolved questions of dentists in these cases, is needed. A prospective clinical examination with ten dentists was carried out to identify their challenges in the treatment of and the care for children facing suspicion of dental neglect. The practice of dental care in the cases of 102 children with suspicion of dental neglect (ages 3-14 years) was analyzed by collecting quantitative data (questionnaires) as well as qualitative data (focus group interviews). Severe and complex challenges in the handling of dental neglect in dental practice were identified. The study revealed that steps towards an optimization of the care for children with suspicion on dental neglect, which is much more than the treatment of caries, are needed. As such steps, we propose (1) the drafting of precise guidelines, (2) the education and training of dental students and dentists in general, (3) mandatory periodical dental health screenings, (4) the establishment of an interdisciplinary cooperation within the public health system, (5) the education of families, and (6) an adequate financial compensation for a professional and optimized case management. The establishment of efficient strategies of prevention and treatment of dental neglect and associated risks for the health of affected children will only be achieved with intense public and governmental support.

Dental Health Status and Oral Health Care in Nursery School-Aged Children and their Parents Living in Poznan (Poland)

“…According to AAPD defini-tion, "Dental neglect is wilful failure of parent or guardian to seek and follow through with treatment necessary to ensure a level of oral heath essential for adequate function and freedom from pain and infection" [27]. Moreover, Hartung et al [28] defined that the suspicion on dental neglect occurs when the child has at least 5 untreated teeth because of caries or infection. Numerous teeth with caries (≥6) observed in 3.82% of examined nursery children from Poznan could suggest that there might be such a problem in families.…”

Prevalence of dental neglect and associated risk factors in children and adolescents—A systematic review

“…25 In a retrospective cross-sectional study, Kvist and Graca 18 found DN on 10% of a sample of children who went for treatment under GA. 24 One study with a German dentist revealed that 78% of the children (on suspicion) experienced DN and at least one child with DN was treated daily by specialized dentists. 23 Thomson et al 24 reported that higher DNS was found in 40% of the sample population while using the school dental services. DN was found in 83% of the sample population having access to a dental office.…”

“…20,21 The results of the qualitative assessment are described in Table 2. The main issues were seven studies did not fulfil Item 9 (adequacy of the response rate and appropriate management of the low response rate) 18,19,[22][23][24][25][26] and two studies did not fulfil Item 3 (sufficient sample size). 18,27 Table 3 represents the characteristics of the included studies, which included data relating to n = 2813 children, 608 mother-child dyads.…”

“…Four of the included studies revealed that parents with less formal education were a risk determinant in the prevalence of DN in children. 19,[21][22][23] Single parent and LAC were considered to be statistically significant risk factors for DN in children. 24,25 Parents having immigration and refugee background were considered to be a risk factor for high DN prevalence in children.…”

A súlyos korai gyermekkori fogszuvasodás előfordulása és összefüggései pécsi bölcsődések között

“…Ez felvetheti a gondozási kötelezettség elmulasztásának, így kiskorú veszélyeztetésének gyanúját. A fogászati negligencia rövid (rekurráló infekciók) és hosszú távú (fogvesztés, a beszédfejlődés zavara, táplálkozási nehezítettség, esztétikai hátrányok, "bullying", végső soron alacsonyabb iskolai teljesítőképesség és életminőség) következményei szintén jól definiáltak [19]. Előfordul, hogy fogorvoskollégáink is erősítik azt a tévhitet, miszerint a szuvas tejfogak kezelése szükségtelen.…”