title: Evaluation of factors influencing child abuse leading to oro-facial lesions in Isfahan, Iran: A qualitative approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since child abuse and neglect are serious conditions which can potentially lead to inappropriate dental health, we conducted this qualitative study to define the factors influencing child abuse and neglect, which lead to oro-facial lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted by social services employees. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants to capture a range of experiences such as the physical abuse, sexual abuse, role of family in child abuse, age, and gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants demonstrated a range of perceptions which lead to child abuse including hitting on the head and slapping. Often subsidiary to this view, several factors were mentioned that occasionally influenced child abuse. These factors appeared to be idiosyncratic but could be drawn together into three categories: Cultural lacks which includes poverty, cruelty of parents and addiction, psychological disorders, and separation in the family which was seen in most of the children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has identified a variety of factors influencing the incidence of child abuse. Therefore, dentists should meticulously pay attention to children who have these risk factors in order to discover child abuse events. Quantitative research would reveal the extent of these factors. Dentists' knowledge of their roles in managing cases suffering from abuse might need to be assessed to see if dentists need further education in this important area.
authors.affiliation: Torabinejad Dental Research Center and Department of Dental Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Firoozeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nilchian
authors.forename: Seyed Ebrahim
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jabbarifar
authors.forename: Navid
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khalighinejad
authors.forename: Leyli
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sadri
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saeidi
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arbab
keywords: Child abuse; Iran; child neglect; oro-facial lesions
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