Dental neglect

At dental school I did not receive any education or guidance about dental neglect. I’m sure things have changed now. I work with OHTs and I know that this was covered in their course, however, recognising if and when we should do something is a tricky business.

Our practice is probably pretty typical of the broad range of patients seen in private practice in Australia. Weekly, we see children with multiple carious teeth. Some are covered by the CDBS scheme and some are not.

Treatment planning these kids can be a headache for our OHTs and dentists.

Trying to develop a treatment plan that is acceptable to the child, the parent, their budget and their time is difficult. It can be overwhelming, at times for everyone concerned and there can be any number of reasons why the treatment plan can fall over.

Supporting the family to bring about changes in oral health behaviours is complex and difficult.

Recognising when poor progress or adherence to a plan is neglect, is challenging.

There are not a great deal of resources on this subject readily available in Australia. Doing research for this article, I discovered that the Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry refer to the American Academy of Paeditric Dentistry guidelines. The definition is here.

This article explores the dilema we commonly face .

In her article, “Safeguarding children: noticing dental neglect”, Jenny Harris proposes a team approach and outlines how to identify and respond. It includes this useful table that outlines a practical approach.

For a local take, I found that Dr Tim Keys and Dr Sarah Dumais Pelletier of the Childrens Dental Centre on the Sunshine Coast have a couple of articles worth reading on their website.

This educational video for doctors, from the UK, helps us look at FTA/DNA a different way.

Communicating effectively with children and their families, and educating them on the importance of good oral health and how you can help them achieve this is the first step.

Does your practice have a system in place?

Feel free to share if you think a friend or colleague may enjoy this

Rosie