Bullying is a critical problem that violates the basic rights of any individual, especially children and adolescents. It involves the aggressive or abusive behavior exhibited against an individual in a relation characterized by inequality of power. The problem of bullying is a worldwide phenomenon with consequences that may persist into adulthood. The prevalence of reported bullying due to dental features ranges from 7% to 45.3%, which is a considerable percentage of the overall bullying experience worldwide.
Caries is responsible for adverse esthetic changes, pain, and bad breath. The presence of clinical signs of caries can be a motive for bullying. In addition, when left untreated, it can adversely affect the victim’s quality of life and emotional and social well-being. Bullying due to dental features is unique because both deviations and perfections are sources of bullying. Missing teeth, abnormal shape and color, and prominent maxillary anterior teeth have been reported as the most common dental drivers of bullying.
In relation to facial and dental deformities, it appears that even mild deviations tend to induce derision. Considering that very few studies have investigated the impact of treating dental problems on the cessation of bullying. Therefore, this session aims to draw light on the crossing points between pediatric patients and their dental problems and pedodontists’ role in detecting and eliciting information related to psychosocial aspects, such as bullying, so that such information may be used to optimize treatment.