Problems in children's oral health may serve as an early warning sign of abuse risk, according to doctoral research by specialist dentist Heikki Alapulli, who works at Helsinki's New Children's Hospital.

His study suggests that while oral health professionals encounter at-risk children, they often lack the training to intervene.

The past five years have seen a growing number of otherwise healthy children requiring dental treatment under general anaesthesia.

In the Helsinki University Hospital area (HUS) alone, more than 2,600 paediatric dental procedures were performed under general anaesthesia last year.

"Most of these children are under school age," said Alapulli.

Meanwhile, only a quarter of oral healthcare professionals said they had received training in identifying child abuse during their studies.

"Early detection can help trigger timely support," Alapulli noted.

Forty-three percent of respondents surveyed by Alapulli had suspected abuse in their work, yet only half had filed a legally mandated child protection report.