![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/melissa-lopez.jpg\")
<\/a>Melissa Lopez says her 10-year-old daughter Elianna was told she had nine cavities by a dentist, so the Whitby mom took her for a second opinion. Later, Lopez says the first dentist reported her to the Children’s Aid Society. (Supplied by Melissa Lopez)<\/p><\/div>\n
Whitby, Ont., resident Melissa Lopez says she was surprised when she brought her daughter Elianna to a new dentist last year and was told the 10-year-old had nine cavities.<\/p>\n
The mother of three said she was told the child would require thousands of dollars in dental work. Because the family doesn’t have dental insurance, they would have to pay for the work\u00a0themselves, so\u00a0Lopez decided to get a second opinion.<\/p>\n
Another dentist in the area told her\u00a0Elianna had fewer cavities, so Lopez decided to get the fillings completed at that clinic and said she didn’t notify the other dentist that she had\u00a0made the switch.<\/p>\n
In June, she received\u00a0a call\u00a0from the Children’s Aid Society, saying the first dentist had reported her for possible “oral\u00a0neglect” of her daughter.<\/p>\n
“I couldn’t believe it,” Lopez told CBC Toronto in an interview this week.<\/p>\n
Lopez wonders why a dentist would be allowed to report a parent without knowing all the facts, and why she now has a permanent case file with the CAS\u00a0\u2014\u00a0even though she provided them with evidence of her daughter’s dental work and was told the case was quickly closed.<\/p>\n
Accusations of neglect ‘absurd,’ mom says<\/h2>\n
“As a mother, you pride yourself on how you raise your kids. I have three kids \u2014 they’re healthy, they’re happy, they do great in school, they have lots of friends,” Lopez said.<\/p>\n
“For someone to turn around and try to accuse me of neglecting her, it’s absurd.”<\/p>\n
Lopez said that, while she didn’t notify the first dentist or respond to the office’s reminders about booking appointments, that shouldn’t be a red flag given how frequently people switch dentists.<\/p>\n
“There was no sort of letter stating they’re concerned for her health … We’ve switched dentists before and never notified the previous one,” she said.<\/p>\n
After providing proof to the CAS that her daughter is in good hands, she said the society dropped its request for an interview and closed the case.<\/p>\n
But the file, Lopez claims she was told, is permanent.<\/p>\n
“It will always be\u00a0there, 10, 15, 20 years from now,” she said. “I’m\u00a0red-flagged, I’ve been marked, and there’s no reason for this to have happened.”<\/p>\n
![\"melissa](\"http:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.4206033.1500062204!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/melissa-lopez.jpg\")
Melissa Lopez with her daughter Elianna and son Matteo. (Supplied by Melissa Lopez)<\/h5>\n<\/div>\nHealth-care professionals ‘required to report’<\/h2>\n
According to the\u00a0Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO), that first dentist was just doing his job.<\/p>\n
Under the Child and Family Services Act, everyone in Ontario has a responsibility to report suspected child abuse and neglect, said Kevin Marsh, director of\u00a0communications for the RCDSO.<\/p>\n
“Health-care professionals and other people who work closely with children have a special responsibility under the act,” he added.<\/p>\n
They’re actually required to report suspected neglect, Marsh explained, and can be fined if it’s determined that they should have reported and chose not to.<\/p>\n
The grounds for what constitutes suspected neglect are “wide open,” however, meaning it’s largely up to individual health care professionals to make the call.<\/p>\n
“You don’t have to have proof of abuse or neglect, just reasonable grounds,” Marsh said.<\/p>\n