Roles of oral health practitioners in child abuse and neglect responses

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child asserts that all children have the right to protection from abuse and exploitation. Unfortunately, child abuse and neglect are significant global health and social issues. In New Zealand, oral health practitioners are uniquely positioned to respond to child protection concerns, as the government provides free oral health care to all children and adolescents. A mixed-method sequential exploratory design is adopted to explore the understanding, perspectives, and attitudes of New Zealand oral health practitioners in their roles in child protection responses and identify approaches to enhance the responsiveness to support children and families who may be at risk.