Aneesa Moolla

By Aneesa Moolla, Tshakane Ralephenya, Sizakele Ngwenya and Sankeshan Padayachee

Children are the future of society. Society should, in turn protect their dignity and wellbeing by ensuring that they are treated with respect and care. Dental practitioners are often the first health professionals to come into contact with victims of child abuse and neglect, not only to render treatment to abuse victims but also to serve as their first line of defense. As part of a larger human community, dental practitioners are responsible for identifying evidence of intentional harm befalling children and reporting it to law enforcers. Physically abused children predominantly present with injuries to the maxillofacial and oral regions. It is therefore important for dental practitioners to be aware of the intra-oral and extra-oral signs that may be indicative of child abuse and neglect in order to champion the fight against child abuse.

Part of the book: Clinical Concepts and Practical Management Techniques in Dentistry

By Aneesa Moolla

Traumatic injuries to the oral cavity are frequent during childhood, with a documented rate of more than 30% worldwide. These injuries commonly include the skull and mouth, and thus teeth are frequently impacted. Consequently, the individual ends up in pain accompanied by both esthetic and functional issues. The combination of these factors can have a detrimental impact upon normal functioning of a young individual’s lives if the injury is not efficiently treated or managed. This then impacts on the individual’s mental health and their quality of life. Not being able to function as part of a society that they are accustomed to, can cause people to withdraw from society and lose self-confidence. The negative psychological effect of traumatic dental injuries is specific to an individual, and as such each patient should be treated holistically with all factors taken into account. There is a dearth in literature around the full psycho-social impacts of traumatic dental injuries. Dentistry as a clinical field is advancing in treatment of such injuries, but there is still a lack of knowledge and awareness regarding the individual experience and how this could be managed going forward in terms in-chair strategies and the involvement of a multi-disciplinary team.

Part of the book: Dental Trauma and Adverse Oral Conditions