%0 Journal Article
%T Self-harm, dentofacial features, and bullying
%J American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics
%D 2022
%A Al-Bitar, Zaid B.
%A Sonbol, Hawazen N.
%A Al-Omari, Iyad K.
%A Badran, Serene A.
%A Naini, Farhad B.
%A Al-Omiri, Mahmoud K.
%A Hamdan, Ahmad M.
%V ePub
%N ePub
%P ePub-ePub
%X INTRODUCTION: Self-harm is a growing public health problem. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of self-harm among a representative sample of school children and the contribution of dentofacial appearance and being bullied because of dentofacial appearance to self-harm.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which a representative sample of eighth-grade students (aged 13-14 years) from randomly selected schools was asked to complete anonymous questionnaires distributed in the classroom. The final sample size was 699 children (339 girls, 360 boys) with a mean age of 13.3 years, representing 1.26% of the target population.
RESULTS: The prevalence of self-harm was 26.9% (n = 188), with no statistically significant gender differences (P >0.05). Among all the subjects who reported self-harm, 47.9% (n = 90) reported self-harm because of dentofacial features. A total of 41 subjects reported self-harm because of bullying targeted at dentofacial features, representing around one fifth of subjects who reported self-harm. The 3 most common dentofacial features contributing to self-harm and self-harm as a result of bullying were tooth color and shape, spacing between the teeth or missing teeth, and prominent maxillary anterior teeth.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated a relatively high experience of self-harm reported by adolescent school children, with many reporting self-harm as a result of their dentofacial appearance and bullying because of dentofacial features. The present study provides baseline data to better understand the relationship between self-harm and dentofacial features. Language: en
%G en
%I Elsevier Publishing
%@ 0889-5406
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajodo.2021.02.025