Child+Abuse+Case+Study

Case Study One: Your patient may have bruises that don't coincide with the explanation of how they received them. What about fractured or luxated teeth? The dad says the kid got hit in the mouth with a baseball, but to you it looks like he was punched. How do you handle that?

Case Study Two: A three year old boy enters your office for his very first check up appointment. He is very nervous and begins to cry when the dentist enters the room. The child refuses to open his mouth like many children do their first time at the dentist office. His father is back with him and begins to curse and yell at the patient warning him he better open. He hits the child many times and only causes the patient to be more upset. The father says this is his way off disciplining his child and he refuses to have his child act like a wus. What are the appropriate actions to take towards the matter? How do you explain to the father the difference between discipline and abuse. Is it ok to say anything to the father at all?

Case Study Three: You have a young two year old patient come into the office in pain. After their exam with the dentist it is clear why the child was in so much pain, they were diagnosed with baby bottle syndrome. Even though your schedule is completely booked the next morning you fit the patient into the schedule. The mother calls the next morning and cancels her appointment because she could not get off of work. You reschedule the appointment for the following day and the same exact thing happens, mom calls with another excuse. This continues for weeks. How long do you think it takes to determine if the case is neglect. What are some techniques you can use to talk to the mother to convince her how important it is for her childs health to have healthy teeth. Is this considered child abuse?

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