Children Are Bullied 'Because Their Teeth Stick Out'

Children Are Bullied ’Because Their Teeth Stick Out’

Playground bullies have always been with us.  From Flashman at Rugby to Gripper Stebson at Grange Hill, any child who stands out from the pack risks attracting unwelcome attention. And teeth, it seems, are often implicated.

At its conference in Birmingham (16th-18th October), the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) presented new research demonstrating a strong link between teeth and bullying.

A sample of 700 school children aged 10-14yrs, revealed that children are being bullied because of their teeth – particularly due to them sticking out.   Examples of the bullying provoked by dental issues included name calling, mean comments and teasing. In addition, children with an aesthetically handicapping malocclusion are more likely to feel lonely at school and this is especially prevalent in girls. 

A press gathering at the British Orthodontic Conference heard insights from research undertaken by Andrew DiBiase alongside real life experiences of bullying from comedienne, influencer and ambassador for Kidscape, Olga Thompson, aka Big Fat Greek Mother.

Every year tens of thousands of youngsters embark on a course of 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. 

On the back of this research, the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) aims to confront the issue by ensuring that everyone working in the field of orthodontics is equipped with the tools to support young people.  This includes understanding what a child who is bullied may be going through together with practical suggestions that can help the child and his or her parents better manage the situation.

With input from the anti-bullying charity Kidscape, the BOS has developed top tips and signposting for support

On a positive note, the research also demonstrated how orthodontic treatment can transform people’s perception of themselves with a positive impact on self-esteem.   

This was brought to life at the press event at BOC where Ryan, 30yrs and Katherine, 19yrs from Birmingham talked about the impact of both bullying on young people and how orthodontic treatment can transform lives. 

BOS Director of External Relations Anjil Patel said “The BOS wants everyone working in orthodontics to know how to support a young person that might be experiencing bullying.  We’re not 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.”   

Commenting on the research and its conclusions, CEO of Kidscape Paula Timms 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 are able to 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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