[Neglect of oral care in children: a matter of integral approach].

Inadequate oral care will eventually result in pain and inflammation. Inadequate oral care in children may be the result of ignorance, inability to deal with an uncooperative child or parental neglect. Poorly cared-for dentition in a child may be a sign of child neglect as defined by the Royal Dutch Medical Association's (KNMG) Reporting Code "Child Abuse and Domestic Violence". Restorative treatment of caries lesions ("filling holes") in a child with neglected teeth masks the lack of oral health care. Non-restorative treatment methods focus on stopping caries activity. These methods require adequate guidance of oral health care. This means motivating parents to re-brush the child's teeth every day. Medical care-providers, including GPs, paediatricians and public health nurses are necessary to provide alerts regarding neglect of dental care. They can investigate whether the oral problems indicate wider problems of neglect in the child. It is recommended that medical care-providers and dental care-providers work together and make use of their respective expertise.