Current approaches addressing oral health practitioners' responsiveness to child abuse and neglect: A scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Child abuse and neglect (CAN) poses significant risks, causing severe and long-lasting effects on a child's well-being, including physical and mental health and learning and socializing capabilities. Oral health practitioners (OHPs) uniquely position themselves to identify signs of maltreatment in the orofacial area, offer appropriate support, and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team. The literature has shown that OHPs under-report child protection concerns to a statutory child protection agency.

Child abuse knowledge and attitudes among dental and oral health therapists in Aotearoa New Zealand: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Child abuse and neglect are significant social and health issues in New Zealand. As the government provides free oral care to children and adolescents, oral health practitioners are positioned to respond to child protection concerns. However, research on the knowledge and attitudes of oral health practitioners is limited.