Each April the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition (KOHC) partners with the Face It Movement to build awareness and connection among oral health professionals, advocates, families, and community members to help prevent child abuse and neglect. 

We are all in a unique position to help strengthen families and prevent child abuse in multiple ways. This month is a great time to dive deeper into how you can play a role in child abuse prevention: 

Share resources and support to help build strong, resilient families: 

  • Share Face It resources in your office or workplace. These free materials offer practical information about body safety, safe playdates, safe medication storage, and more. 
  • Download and share oral health resources from KOHC’s Oral Health Resource Hub to offer assistance in navigating and understanding children’s oral health, substance use and oral health, dental insurance, and more. 
  • Offer a welcoming environment and a sympathetic smile or a kind word for parents and caregivers. 
  • Support policies that strengthen family resilience. While Kentucky’s legislative session is winding down, now is a good time to connect with your officials in the interim. 

 

Recognize, de-escalate, and intervene on behalf of children: 

  • Teach staff to offer caring support in tense situations – offer a glass of water or distractions for children.  
  • Ensure staff is trained about recognition and mandated reporting. 
  • It’s estimated that more than half of injuries due to child abuse are on the head and neck. The downloadable Child Abuse Prevention Toolkit for Health Professionals – with a special section for oral health professionals – offers opportunities to learn more about how to notice and respond to potential signs of abuse, including: 
  • Torn frenula 
  • Soft palate 
  • Pharyngeal injuries 
  • Missing primary teeth – be sure to ask for a history of why this happened, as it can happen accidentally 
  • Learn more by watching these videos designed for health (and oral health) professionals: 

Face It and community partner events and trainings continue throughout the month of April.