Crowding of anterior teeth and bullying in schoolchildren.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the crowding of anterior teeth in schoolchildren with and without experience of bullying. Materials and Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, comparative and observational study was conducted in two educational institutions, one public and one private; The sample consisted of 218 schoolchildren between 11 and 16 years of age. Dental crowding was evaluated in the upper and lower anterior sector using Little's irregularity index. To diagnose bullying, a previously validated questionnaire was applied, with dichotomized questions. The comparison between crowding in patients with and without experience of bullying was evaluated with the U-Mann Whitney statistical test. Results: Statistically significant differences in the amount of crowding (p<0.05) were found. The average crowding for the group subjected to bullying was 11.6 +/- 9.4 mm and in the group without bullying was 9.1+/- 7.9 mm. Conclusion: There was a higher amount of dental crowding in schoolchildren subjected to bullying compared to schoolchildren with no bullying.

Keywords

• malocclusion
• child
• adolescent
• bullying
• tooth
• cross-sectional studies