Child abuse: dentists' recognition and involvement

Children in our society are too often maltreated by adults in their lives. These adults may be their parents, caretakers, youth leaders, coaches or perhaps even a health care provider. Children become missing daily in the United States, perhaps running away or being abducted. Occasionally, abductions lead to tragic conclusions. This paper will cover the dental staff's involvement with a physically abused child including documenting suspected injuries, the dentist's responsibility in maintaining good records in case a young patient should go missing, and the role of the forensic dentist with patterned injuries of abusive origin.