Children’s rights and dental care treatment

Authors:

ABSTRACT

Editorial

Dentists, especially paediatric dentists, should inform their young patients
of the treatment to be undertaken in an appropriate and comprehensive
manner. In 1989, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - UNCRC - https://www.unicef.
org/child-rights-convention/convention-text) was adopted, comprising of 54
articles concerning every aspect of a child’s life, notably health, including
oral health. More than 30 years after the Declaration of the Rights of the
Child, both health professionals and parents still struggle to grasp this subject,
resulting in its scarce application in daily practice.
Children’s rights have also been mentioned several times in medical and
dental literature, reminding health professionals that the approach to young
patients must be age-appropriate. The clinician must learn to consider children
as the main protagonists in the choices concerning their health, and they
must be aware of their rights from an early age. Particularly in the field of
dentistry, it is a matter of guaranteeing the best dental care for every child
with particular attention to the indigent or disabled (Article 23).
In addition to this, the most effective and up-to-date treatment must be
proposed, avoiding unnecessary extractions and favouring conservative
therapy that can guarantee a better quality of life in the future, while reducing
treatment under general anaesthesia. In current practice, consent to treatment
is often demanded from the parents, without involving the child. However,
every child has the right to freely express their opinion and be actively involved
in any matter that concerns them.
This opinion is expressed in different ways according to age and stage of
maturity. Pictures, drawings, cartoons and videos can help the healthcare
provider when explaining procedures to the young patient, thus allowing
them to obtain consent and cooperation. In individual countries, it would be
advisable to have guidelines that facilitate the child’s active consent to health
treatments. So, what happens in your country?

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