Relationship between gingival bleeding and associated factors with reports of verbal bullying in adolescents

Abstract

Background Dentofacial features are related to increased bullying episodes in young people. The aim of this study was to assess the association between gingival bleeding and reports of verbal bullying among adolescents. Methods This is a cross‐sectional study conducted with a representative sample of 608 12‐year‐old adolescents from southern Brazil. The occurrence of verbal bullying was verified through adolescents' self‐report. Oral health measurements included the presence of gingival bleeding, dental fracture, dental fluorosis, and dental caries experience. Gingival bleeding was assessed through adolescent self‐perception by the following question: “Did you notice any bleeding in your gums?” Demographic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial variables were also evaluated. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to evaluate the influence of gingival bleeding on the occurrence of verbal bullying. Results are presented as prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results Out of 608 adolescents evaluated, 577 answered bullying questions. The prevalence of self‐reported verbal bullying was 12.8%. Adolescents who presented gingival bleeding had an 80% higher prevalence of verbal bullying than their counterparts (PR 1.80; 95% CI 1.01 ‐3.19). Dental shame, speech difficulties and influence of dental condition on studies also impacted the higher prevalence of bullying. Conclusion Our results suggest that the presence of gingival bleeding negatively impacts the social life of adolescents, causing more episodes of verbal bullying. These findings encourage public health policies aimed at reducing oral health inequities, thus reflecting on the well‐being and quality of life of this target population.

COVID-19 pandemic reduces the negative perception of oral health-related quality of life in adolescents

“…Previous studies have shown that factors related to the school environment are associated with OHRQoL [24,25]. In addition, oral health measures, such as dental shame, impact on the occurrence of dental bullying among schoolchildren [26]. In this context, as social distancing prevented daily contact among adolescents, it is believed that OHRQoL was less affected in this period, especially in the emotional well-being and social well-being domains, as demonstrated in our findings.…”

Bullied Because of Their Teeth: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study on the Impact of Oral Health on Bullying Victimization Among Australian Indigenous Children

“…Indigenous children experience some of the highest levels of marginalisation in the world [60,75,76]. Experiences of racial discrimination may lead to parents not seeking dental healthcare for their children or waiting until only removing teeth is viable, and this may lead to bullying in school [16,[19][20][21][22][77][78][79].…”

Bullied Because of Their Teeth: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study on the Impact of Oral Health on Bullying Victimization among Australian Indigenous Children

“…Indigenous children experience some of the highest levels of marginalisation in the world [66,80,81]. Experiences of racial discrimination may lead to parents not seeking dental healthcare for their children or waiting until only removing teeth is viable, and this may lead to bullying in school [17,[20][21][22][23]82,83].…”