Association between Dentofacial Features and Bullying from Childhood to Adulthood: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Bullying occurs when an individual is repeatedly victimised by negative actions performed by peers. As oral features, like malocclusion and dental structural defects, can promote psychological distress, which is also found in those who are bullied, we aimed to study the association between orofacial conditions and bullying. A systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42022331693), including articles dealing with bullying and dentofacial traits, was performed following the PRISMA chart. The iterative search of eligible publications was carried out on 27 March 2023 on four databases (PubMed, PubPsych, Web of Science and Cochrane Reviews) and in the grey literature. Among the 25 articles included, 4 referred to qualitative studies, which analysed 632 interviews with children, 8 interviews with parents, 292 letters, and 321 Twitter posts. The other 21 were cross-sectional studies, which included 10,026 patients from 7 to 61 years old. Two of the qualitative studies and seven of the cross-sectional studies rated a low risk of bias, according to Joanna Briggs Institute’s Critical Appraisal Tools. The majority of studies (88%) reported a relationship between malocclusion or structural defects and exposure to bullying among young adolescents. Structural dental abnormalities and severe malocclusion should be managed, among others, for psychological questions because they crystallise the loss of self-confidence and increase the risk of bullying.