|
Abstract
|
Even though contemporary orthodontics has broadened the age span for orthodontic treatment in adults, teenagers will always constitute a major portion of our patients. After all, as it is well known, orthodontic treatment by itself can only provide dramatic dentofacial changes during pubertal growth spurt, which may benefit our patients both in function and esthetics, and in the so-called psychosocial aspect.
It is exactly about the association between orthodontic treatment need, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and bullying that the original article by Gatto et al, published in this issue of the DPJO, looked at, in a sample of 815 Brazilian teenagers. Interestingly, they found that there was an association between OHRQoL and bullying. For example, teenagers with negative bullying consequences were three times more prone to have low scores for OHRQoL. A similar correlation was also observed in Jordanian children in a study performed by Al-Omari et al,1 in 2014. They found a significant relationship between bullying due to dentofacial features and negative effects on OHRQoL. Indeed, teeth have been reported to be the most frequently targeted feature for bullying, followed by physical strength and body weight. The most common dental features targeted by bullies were spacing between teeth, missing teeth, shape and color of teeth, and prominent upper incisors.2
However, when looking closely at this information, I questioned myself on how much, as a caregiver, do I really know about bullying. As an orthodontist, I understand the standard of care for treating malocclusions, but since I see so many teenagers, do I really know the underlying consequences of bullying? Can I truly sense that my patient is a bullying victim due to his/her malocclusion? And if I don’t and I wait longer for him/her to be treated, what are the possible consequences ...
Language: pt |