Mapping orofacial signs of child abuse in children referred to a Norwegian Children's House.
Intraoral signs found in most children referred for suspected physical or sexual abuse
Mapping orofacial signs of child abuse in children referred to a Norwegian Children's House.
Child physical and sexual abuse frequently involves the orofacial region, yet comprehensive forensic mapping of both traumatic and nontraumatic orofacial signs in children referred due to suspected abuse remains limited.
To comprehensively map extraoral and intraoral signs in children referred for forensic dental examination due to suspected physical or sexual abuse, describing injury types, anatomical distribution, and nontraumatic oral health findings across abuse types.
This retrospective cross-sectional study included 362 children aged 1-18 years referred to a Norwegian Children's House, an interdisciplinary forensic assessment center for children, between 2017 and 2021.
most children referred for suspected abuse had intraoral findings on exam
Most children were aged 6-11 years (56.1%).
Extraoral injuries were more common among children with suspected sexual abuse (40.7%) than among those with suspected physical abuse (34.4%), whereas intraoral injuries were similar (≈19%).
Dental trauma accounted for nearly three-quarters of all intraoral injuries and was more frequent among physically abused children.
Nontraumatic intraoral findings were common in both groups (∼63%), with poor oral hygiene and untreated caries occurring more often in the physical abuse group.
Children referred for forensic evaluation due to suspected abuse frequently presented with traumatic and nontraumatic orofacial signs.
The integration of forensic dental and medical examinations strengthens the identification of head and neck injuries and highlights the pivotal role of dental professionals in multidisciplinary child protection.