This follows research that shows a third of dentists in Scotland hadchild protection concerns but only eight per cent of suspicious caseswere passed on to relevant authorities.
Many signs of physical abuse are easily accessible to dentists as theyappear around the face, teeth and mouth.
However, researchers at the University of Glasgow Dental School and theRoyal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, found most practitionerswere unsure of how to follow up suspicions due to lack of training orclear guidelines. Nine out of 10 of 400 dentists surveyed felt they wereinadequately informed.
Dentists failed to report concerns for a variety of reasons. Half fearedlitigation and a third feared further violence towards the child.
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