Parental child abuse and neglect from a paediatric dental clinic: two case reports

A seven and twelve-year old boy and girl presented to the paediatric dental clinic seeking dental treatment. The boy had dental neglect with fearful and uncooperative behaviour; while the girl was defiant and had disruptive behaviour. The behaviour of the two children was extreme, and this helped the clinician to question child abuse. Both children were abused by close relatives and were both neglected by the parents. The conflicting history from the guardians about the behaviour of both children and the extreme behaviour patterns made the clinician suspect child abuse. There was a marked change of behaviour when these minors were accompanied by their respective parents for the dental treatment. Child abuse requires a multidisciplinary approach to detect, diagnose and protect the minor. In this instance the parents were made aware of the possibilities of child abuse. Fortunately, they recognised the problems and therefore came to the assistance of the children whose behaviour transformed and were able to undergo dental treatment without any difficulties.