Impact of the need for orthodontic treatment on academic performance, self-esteem and bullying in schoolchildren

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the need for orthodontic treatment on academic performance, self-esteem and bullying in schoolchildren. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 147 school children between 12 and 18 years of age. Academic performance was measured taking into account the final average grades for all the courses; for self-esteem and bullying, scores obtained with validated questionnaires were used. The Dental Aesthetic Index was used to determine the need for orthodontic treatment. The Kruskal Wallis test was used for the comparisons between the scores for academic performance, self-esteem and bullying according to each category of need for orthodontic treatment; a level of significance of 5% was considered.Results: The results showed mean academic performance scores of 13.6, 12.5, 12.9, 13.2 for those who did not need orthodontic treatment, those with defined malocclusion, severe malocclusion and very severe malocclusion, respectively; for self-esteem the scores were 21.6, 20.9, 21.0 and 20.5; and for bullying, 14.2, 15.4, 14.5 and 13.0. No statistically significant differences were found between the scores in the different groups evaluated (p>0.05). Conclusion: The need for orthodontic treatment in schoolchildren showed no impact on academic performance, self-esteem and bullying. The need for orthodontic treatment, as measured by the Dental Aesthetic Index, did not prove to be a determining factor in the presence of such variables in schoolchildren.

Keywords

• academic performance
• bullying
• malocclusion
• adolescent
• self-concept