Oral health practitioners’ responses to child abuse and neglect (CAN) vary by training, organisational support, and contextual factors, according to an analysis of practitioner experiences. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 21 oral health practitioners (oral health therapists, dental therapists, dentists, dental specialists and community oral heath service managers) from diverse geographic regions and dental settings between August 2023 and August 2024. Four themes were identified: 1) opportunities to build relationships with families; 2) needs for cultural and systemic awareness; 3) collaborative approaches to child protection; 4) creating safer and more supportive practice environments. A clear need for context-specific, straightforward guidelines and active workforce development in child protection was highlighted.
