Local MP Stephen McPartland launched the start of an anti-bullying campaign as part of anti-Bullying Week. Inline Orthodontics, based in Stevenage town centre, hosted an anti-bullying event involving members of the local community, head teachers, sports club leaders and young people.  The discussion was moderated by Tom Mclanewebb, Director of Social Action at Beat Bullying.

Stephen said, "Bullying in any form is a disgrace and destroys lives, especially among young people. Stopping bullying is critical and giving young people confidence back through a great smile can be a big part in helping them to rebuild their self-esteem. I will keep up the campaign to stamp out bullying and helping people to get on with their lives."

Jonathan Alexander-Abt, Principal Orthodontist at Inline Orthodontics, commented “Bullying for whatever reason is deplorable and should never be tolerated. This research shows that a significant number of children are being bullied because of the position and appearance of their teeth. As a Specialist Orthodontist I feel that it is important to raise awareness of this and reassure young people that there is something we can do to help them”.

A young patient contributed to the debate by describing her experiences of bullying whilst her mother explained how this affected her daughter.