Child and dentist brushing teeth
child protection and the dental team
Introduction - why you need to know Abuse and Neglect - what you need to know Child Protection - responding Safeguarding children - in dental practice
What is abuse?Categories of abusePhysicalEmotionalSexualNeglectPrevalenceRecognising abuse and neglectVulnerable groupsThe question of dental neglectReturn to homepageGlossaryReferencesFinding your local contactsFurther informationFurther trainingDownloads Categories of abuse
Abuse and neglect are described in four categories, as defined in the Department of Health’s document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.1 Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
Physical

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately causes illness in a child.
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