Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the association between orthodontic treatment need and the self-reported bullying, and its impact on adolescents’ self-esteem. Methods: The sample consisted of 160 schoolchildren from 11 to 14 years of age, enrolled in public schools. The history of bullying was evaluated by means of the Crozier; Dimmock adapted Questionnaire (1999). Self-esteem was determined by means of the Global Negative Self-Evaluation Scale (GSE). The normative orthodontic treatment need was determined by the Dental Health Component (DHC) and perceived need, by Aesthetic Component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). Individual analyses were made of the associations with the history of bullying (outcome). Results: The variables that presented P ? 0.20 in the individual analyses were tested in a multiple logistic regression model, and variables with P ? 0.05 remained in the model. The odds ratios with the intervals of confidence were estimated. According to the results 72.5% of the schoolchildren reported a history of bullying. The schoolchildren who presented negative impact on the quality of life related to oral symptoms and negative self-esteem were observed to have 4.59 and 5.44 times more chance, respectively to report a history of bullying (P < 0.05), which did not suffer the influence of normative and perceived orthodontic treatment need. Conclusion: The history of bullying was not influenced by orthodontic treatment need, but by the low self-esteem of adolescents.
Highlights
Bullying at school-going age is endemic [1] a practice that occurs among students [2], with a prevalence ranging from 5% to 58% [1,3,4]
School bullying has been extensively studied in high income countries; in the low to medium income countries, the individual and contextual characteristics associated with bullying are not well known [7]
The normative orthodontic treatment need was determined by the Dental Health Component (DHC) of the Orthodontic Treatment Need Index – Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) [11,20]
Summary
Bullying at school-going age is endemic [1] a practice that occurs among students [2], with a prevalence ranging from 5% to 58% [1,3,4]. Considered a subtype of violence, it is characterized by negative actions, performed by physical contact, words or other forms, such as gestures or intentional exclusion from a group on the part of one or more students in an unequal relationship of power [3,5] It is still a very invisible behaviour, it especially affects children and adolescents who suffer the consequences of continuous aggressive processes [6]. Adolescents with malocclusion are known to have negative impact on their self-esteem and quality of life [10,11,12,13] Characteristics such as the appearance of the mouth and smile cause negative impact on the quality of life and have a significant relationship with bullying [1,14]. Adolescents who were victims of bullying and underwent orthodontic treatment, had a significant reduction in the level of intimidation, with positive impact on the quality of life [15]
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