Prevalence of molar-incisor-hypomineralization among children attending pedodontic clinic of college of dentistry at Baghdad University

Abstract

Background: Molar Incisor Hypomineralization is a developmentally derived dental defect that involveshypomineralization of one to four permanent first molars frequently associated with similarly affected permanentincisors. The purpose of this study was to find the prevalence and severity of MIH among Iraqi children attending theteaching hospital of the College of Dentistry, Baghdad University.Materials and method: Two hundred and twenty seven children of ages ranging from 4-15 years participated andwere examined for enamel hypomineralization defects. Enamel Defect Index (EDI) as well as evaluation criteria forMIH diagnosis were used in order to detect the defects. When MIH was detected, further examinations were carriedout to evaluate the severity of the defect. Other types of hypoplasia such as localized or generalized hypoplasiawere also recorded and undergone the same examination.Results: It was found that of the two hundred and twenty seven children examined; one or more hypoplasias weredetected in 21 children (compromising 9.25% of the sample). Fifteen children of these 21 children had hypoplasia ofMIH type (6.61% of the total sample and 71.43% of the affected ones). Females were more affected with enameldefects than males although both showed similar susceptibility to have MIH type of defects. Most of the children whohad MIH were in the sixth year of age (n=6) and at this age the number of teeth affected was 36 (34.6%). The incisorswere found to be affected in a severe (29, 47.54%), mild (21, 34.43%) and the least moderate degrees (11, 18.03%)while the molars were more mildly affected (23, 48.94%).Conclusion: Molar incisor hypomineralization is prevalent in Iraqi children. It was not gender dependant and wasmostly detected in six year old children. The severity of the defects differed in different age groups and on differentteeth.