The prevalence and severity of molar incisor hypomineralization in group of students – a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction/Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and conditions of teeth with molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) in the early adult population.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 298 students from the School of Dental Medicine, University of Belgrade, from the third to the fifth year of study. The presence of MIH was registered on the basis of European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry diagnostic criteria, and oral health and caries risk were assessed by standard dental examination and determination of DMF index values. The MIH sample was divided into two groups: untreated teeth (the estimation of the degree of hypomineralization was based on the color, location, and size of the hypomineralized part of the enamel) and treated teeth (where types of preventive and various restorative treatments were registered). Statistical analysis was performed using the χ² test (p < 0.05).

Results MIH was observed in 90 subjects (30.2%). The results of the oral health examination showed that the average DMF index was medium risk (7.66) for the MIH sample. MIH-untreated teeth showed a mild or moderate degree of hypomineralization. The presence of extensive carious lesions, secondary caries, as well as the loss of the first permanent molars was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to the sample without MIH changes.

Conclusion The study results confirmed the problem in recognizing and adequately treating MIH-altered teeth.

Keywords: molar incisor hypomineralization; MIH; student population; cross-sectional study