Association among bullying, cyberbullying, and malocclusion in teenagers.

Malocclusion may affect adolescents' sociability and may be associated with school violence. This study aimed to analyze the association between malocclusion, bullying, and cyberbullying among teenagers. The cross-sectional study was conducted with 801 adolescents aged 14 to 19 from public schools in Olinda, Brazil. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire based on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and a clinical intraoral examination following Moyers' criteria. A logistic regression model was adjusted for each dependent variable, including only those variables that showed a significant association (p-value ≤ 0.20) in the bivariate analysis. The statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows. Most of the participants were females aged 14 to 16, with a family income of up to one minimum wage. Nearly 40% had class II malocclusion, 20% reported bullying, and 10% cyberbullying. Adolescents with anterior open bite had a higher likelihood of being bullied (OR: 2.9; CI: 1.4-6.2). It was concluded that malocclusion with facial impact is associated with bullying but not with cyberbullying.