ABSTRACT
Damage to a child, other than by accidental means, has been recognized for centuries1 but appears to have first been described in a formal manner in 1962.2 The authors used the term ‘battered child syndrome’ but this forms part of what is more commonly called ‘child abuse’. Child abuse may include non-accidental injury (NAI) but also emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. It has been increasingly recognized that the dental surgeon may be the first professional to suspect physical abuse, especially in relation to injuries involving the orofacial structures.3 A child is considered to have been abused if he or she is treated in a way that is unacceptable in a given culture at a given time.4 For the purposes of this review, only physical abuse in the form of NAI and neglect will be considered. Neglect occurs when an adult knowingly allows a child to endure pain or suffering or fails to provide the basic requisites for proper maturation.
