Legal issues of reporting child dental neglect

Abstract

Dental neglect is a subcategory of medical neglect. How prevalent is it, and how often is it reported? In Child Maltreatment 2019: Summary of Key Findings, it is reported that 2.3% of victims of child maltreatment suffered medical neglect. The number of those suffering dental neglect was not reported and some of the difficulty arises because dental neglect is often grouped into greater medical neglect. Dental neglect can cause serious systemic and social consequences. One study found that children with oral health problems were more likely to have problems at school and were more likely to miss days of school.