Pathways between oral health conditions and bullying on adolescents: A 10-year cohort study.

Abstract

To assess the pathways in which oral health conditions, socioeconomic, and psychosocial factors in childhood can lead to the occurrence of bullying in adolescence. This is a 10-year cohort study conducted with a sample of 639 children in southern Brazil. Oral health conditions (dental caries, dental trauma and malocclusion), sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics were obtained at baseline (T1) and at follow-up (T2). General and dental bullying were assessed at T2 using the Bullying Olweus questionnaire and through a question contained in the Child Perception Questionnaire 11-14. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate the pathways between oral health measures and bullying episodes over time. A total of 429 students were evaluated at follow-up. Untreated dental caries were direct and indirectly related with the occurrence of dental bullying at follow-up and indirectly associated with general bullying at T2. Low socioeconomic status, low sense of coherence and dental bullying presented a direct impact on the occurrence of general bullying at T2. Untreated dental caries are presented as the main oral health predictor of the occurrence of bullying episodes in adolescence.