Relationship between discrimination, personality traits, and dentofacial features among schoolchildren in Jordan

Abstract

Introduction

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of dentofacial features on experiences of discrimination and to examine their potential association with personality factors among schoolchildren in Jordan.

Methods

This cross-sectional study involved 1166 ninth and tenth-grade school children, comprising 707 girls and 459 boys, aged 14-16 years (mean age 14.97 ± 0.84 years). Participants were recruited from randomly selected schools and requested to complete 2 questionnaires. The first questionnaire investigated discrimination experiences, and the second was the NEO Five-Factor Inventory questionnaire, which was used to assess the participants’ 5 major personality factors: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Relationships among variables were identified using chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Variations based on sex and the presence of discrimination were identified using the Mann-Whitney U test. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the odds of being exposed to discrimination based on dental problems and personality factors. Statistical significance was determined at 95% confidence intervals, with 2-tailed α values of ≤0.05.

Results

The prevalence of reported discrimination was 58.8% (n = 686); significantly more girls reported being discriminated against than boys (P <0.001). Approximately 20% of the participants reported being discriminated against because of their dentofacial features. The 3 most commonly reported dentofacial features the discriminated against participants identified were tooth color (6.9%), spacing between teeth (6.6%), and proclined maxillary anterior teeth (5.1%). Hierarchical logistic regression analysis demonstrated that higher neuroticism scores, higher openness scores, and problems with dental or oral features were associated with higher odds of being exposed to discrimination (P <0.05).

Conclusions

Jordanian students reported a high incidence of discrimination, which was often linked to their dental or facial appearance. This discrimination was significantly associated with personality traits and specific dentofacial features.