Recognizing abuse is paramount to protecting the increasing proportion of seniors in the Canadian population. Dentists are in an ideal position to identify and signal suspected abuse, as they perform a thorough examination of the head and neck region and generally see their patients twice a year. Good communication skills are necessary to improve dialogue with the patient. This article is intended to provide the dentist with tools to identify abuse and a decision tree to manage and monitor the suspected abused elder. With increased awareness, dentists will play an important role in helping protect seniors from abuse.
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