Hallazgos clinicos odontologicos en maltrato infantojuvenil en el departamento de odontologia forense del CICPC Mérida-Venezuela

Abstract

Child and adolescent abuse and neglect of children is a growing social problem that is not limited to medical, legal or social services professions; Dental professionals must be able to identify, document, report and often help treat these patients and their families. This study is descriptive with retrospective Cross-sectional design, with a population consisting of all children and adolescents treated in Forensic Medicine of the CICPC (Merida, Venezuela) during the period from January 2010 to June 2013 with the aim of describing the clinical findings of dental interest in child and adolescent victims of abuse. Information was collected on a tab and the results are presented in tables and graphs of percentage bar. The findings showed that physical injuries caused by violent events are usually unnoticed, the most susceptible age group was 14-16 years, wounds located in lips were the most frequent injuries, most of present dental lesions required general dental treatment. It is recommended to promote more research in order to know the magnitude of the impact of child and adolescent abuse.