GPs failing to spot dental tell-tale signs of child abuse

Family doctors could better detect child neglect with increased dental health training.

But currently, they could be missing the opportunity to share potential cases of wider abuse or neglect to other health and welfare professionals.

The study in The British Dental Journal was led by Sascha Colgan, consultant GP and visiting researcher at the University of Southampton in the UK, and was published by Springer Nature.

Researchers estimate that around one in ten children have been or are being abused or neglected, and that one to two children in the UK die each week as a result of neglect or abuse. Although there is no single standard for identifying neglect, much research shows that dental neglect is an important marker for wider neglect.