Kruse Teresa, Graf Isabelle, Braumann Bert, Kruse Hanno, Kroneberg Clemens
Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 32, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
Institute of Political Science and Sociology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
J Orofac Orthop. 2025 May;86(3):1-12. doi: 10.1007/s00056-023-00506-x. Epub 2023 Dec 19.
Studies from the 1970s and 1980s, but also recent investigations on social media suggest that wearing a fixed orthodontic appliance can be a cause of bullying and social exclusion. With the greater uptake of orthodontic treatment in recent decades, it can be assumed that fixed braces are increasingly perceived as normal or even socially desirable. This study investigated how wearing visible fixed braces affects adolescents' social position in their peer networks using cross-sectional survey data.
A total of 3002 students in the seventh grade (ages 12/13) at 39 secondary schools were asked about their social relationships in school. These directed network data were used to compare different indegrees (friendship, popularity and victimisation) of students with and without fixed braces. Statistical analyses were performed using ordinary least squares multiple regression models with school cohort fixed effects.
In all, 19% of the surveyed students indicated that they wear visible fixed braces. Girls with fixed braces were slightly more likely to be nominated for friendship and popularity and slightly less likely to be nominated for victimisation than girls without fixed braces (p < 0.05). These associations also remained stable when controlling for socioeconomic differences. Among boys, all observed associations were statistically insignificant.
We found no evidence that wearing fixed braces in adolescence is socially sanctioned by peers. Rather, female students with fixed braces even tend to hold a slightly more favourable position in their peer networks than girls without braces do. These analyses exemplify how network-analytic approaches can be successfully applied in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of sociology, epidemiology and medicine.
20世纪70年代和80年代的研究，以及近期社交媒体上的调查表明，佩戴固定正畸矫治器可能是遭受欺凌和社会排斥的一个原因。近几十年来，随着正畸治疗的更多应用，可以推测固定矫治器越来越被视为正常甚至在社会上是受欢迎的。本研究使用横断面调查数据，调查了佩戴明显的固定矫治器如何影响青少年在其同伴网络中的社会地位。
对39所中学的3002名七年级（12/13岁）学生询问了他们在学校的社会关系。这些定向网络数据用于比较佩戴和未佩戴固定矫治器学生的不同入度（友谊、受欢迎程度和受欺负情况）。使用具有学校队列固定效应的普通最小二乘多元回归模型进行统计分析。
总体而言，19%的受访学生表示他们佩戴明显的固定矫治器。佩戴固定矫治器的女孩比未佩戴的女孩更有可能被提名为朋友和受欢迎，而被提名为受欺负对象的可能性略低（p<0.05）。在控制社会经济差异时，这些关联也保持稳定。在男孩中，所有观察到的关联在统计学上均无显著意义。
我们没有发现证据表明青少年佩戴固定矫治器在社会上会得到同伴的认可。相反，佩戴固定矫治器的女学生在其同伴网络中的地位甚至往往比未佩戴矫治器的女孩略高。这些分析例证了网络分析方法如何能够成功地应用于社会学、流行病学和医学交叉领域的跨学科研究。
