Episode Details

Are you confident in spotting a child at risk of neglect?

Do you know what to do if you witness abuse in your practice?

How can you raise concerns safely while protecting both the child and your team?

This episode with Dr. Christine Park provides tangible actions, practical scripts, and clear guidance for managing challenging scenarios—like seeing an adult hit a child in the waiting room or recognizing neglect in the dental chair. These are situations dental school rarely prepares us for.

Every practice needs clear protocols for safeguarding. This episode acts as a North Star, helping you stay compliant while ethically doing the right thing. If you treat children, you must listen to this episode and share it with every colleague who treats children.

Protrusive Dental Pearl: Find the phone number of your local child safeguarding board / social services. Verify it, then display it where you and your team can quickly access it.

Need to Read it? Check out the Full Episode Transcript below!

Key Takeaways

• Dentists are trained observers of family dynamics.
• Recognizing normal behavior is key in dental care.
• Unconscious observations can guide professionals.
• Feeling uncomfortable about a situation is a valid signal.
• Empowerment comes from trusting your instincts.
• Dental care professionals see many aspects of families.
• It’s important to act on uncomfortable feelings.
• Observation skills are crucial for effective care.
• Children’s interactions reveal much about family health.
• Awareness of discomfort can lead to better outcomes.

Highlights of this episode:

📢 Safeguard your young patients with confidence!

Catch Dr. Christine Park at the Scottish Dental Show in June or via her NES webinars.

Check out the BSPD guidelines on dental neglect —an essential resource for any dentist treating children

✉️ Get in Touch with Dr. Christine:

• General: Christine.park@glasgow.ac.uk
• Patient-info: Christine.park7@nhs.scot