[Child abuse: bite marks versus other types of lesions].

The number of reported child abuse cases is increasing every year. This may indicate that the threshold of reporting child abuse has dropped or that the incidence of this kind of physical violence has increased in our society. Physicians, dentists, emergency care personnel, and educators are, because of their professional relation with children, in a privileged position for detecting and reporting signs and symptoms of child abuse and should play a crucial role in the protection of potential victims of abuse.