A strong link between teeth and bullying has been revealed by the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) at The British Orthodontic Conference (BOC) in Birmingham in October 2024.

A sample of 700 school children aged between 10 and 14-years-old revealed that children are bullied because of their teeth, particularly due to them sticking out. This is mainly in the form of name calling, mean comments and teasing. In addition, the research showed that children with an aesthetically handicapping malocclusion are more likely to feel lonely at school and this is especially prevalent in girls.

The press gathering at BOC included insights from research undertaken by Andrew DiBiase alongside real life experiences of bullying from comedienne, influencer and ambassador for anti-bullying charity Kidscape, Olga Thompson.

Every year thousands of young people embark on orthodontic treatment.Teenagers can face many challenges as they transition to the next stage in their lives and sadly bullying can have a devastating lifelong impact. As a result of this research, the BOS has said it wants to tackle the issue head-on by ensuring everyone working in the field of orthodontics is equipped with the tools to support young people. As part of its partnership with Kidscape, the BOS has developed tips and signposting for support.

Anjli Patel, director of external relations for the BOS, said, “The BOS wants everyone working in orthodontics to know how to support a young person that might be experiencing bullying. We’re not the experts in bullying so we’re delighted to be working alongside the anti-bullying charity Kidscape.We look forward to this being an ongoing initiative.”

The research also demonstrated how orthodontic treatment can transform people’s perception of themselves with a positive impact on self-esteem. This was demonstrated at the press event at the BOC where Ryan, 30 years and Katherine, 19 years spoke about the impact of bullying on young people and how orthodontic treatment can help transform lives.

Paula Timms, CEO of Kidscape, said, “At Kidscape, we understand the impact of bullying on children’s mental health and wellbeing. This research has highlighted that children are often bullied due to their appearance relating to malocclusion.

“This highlights to us the importance of ensuring that professionals working within orthodontics and dentistry can respond effectively to children and young people who are bullied. We are excited that the collaboration with the British Orthodontic Society will enable us to work together to tackle bullying and help more children stay safe from harm.”

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