Beatrice Ciocan

Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) is a common dental condition that affects the mineralization of the enamel, primarily affecting the first permanent molars and often the incisors. This condition can lead to a wide range of clinical presentations, from mild opacities to severe post-eruptive breakdown, which can significantly impact a child’s oral health and quality of life. Background/Objectives: The prevalence and complex management of MIH have posed a significant challenge for dental practitioners. Our preceding investigation found that 14.3% of school-aged children have MIH. Based on this finding, we wanted to understand what other Romanian dental professionals think about this condition. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the awareness, perception, and clinical management approaches of Romanian dentists toward MIH in order to inform future educational strategies and contribute to the development of dedicated preventive programs. Methods: To gain a comprehensive understanding of MIH in actual clinical settings, we developed and administered a questionnaire consisting of three distinct sections. Our objective was to capture the collective knowledge and perspectives of dental practitioners. We distributed the survey, which included 14 pertinent questions, to a large professional group of Romanian dentists. Results: This study collected responses from 219 Romanian dental practitioners (median age: 34 years) about their experiences with MIH. The vast majority (86.76%) had encountered MIH cases in their practice, with half reporting moderate prevalence among their patients. The most frequently observed complications were hypersensitivity (41.95%), pulp exposure (33.33%), and failed restorations (24.71%). While adhesive restorations were identified as the overall preferred treatment approach (70.00%), notable differences emerged in both clinical complications encountered and therapeutic approaches implemented across dental specialties. There was near-unanimous agreement on the importance of early MIH diagnosis (99.09%), and almost all participants (98.63%) expressed a desire for more information about this condition, demonstrating high awareness and concern about MIH among Romanian dental professionals. Conclusions: This study highlights that general dentists, endodontists, and pedodontists encounter MIH patients frequently in their practice, emphasizing the critical need to enhance awareness and education about MIH among both dental professionals and the general public.

Molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is an understudied and underrecognized clinical entity occurring in children. We performed a cross-sectional study to determine the real-world prevalence of MIH among school children undergoing routine dental checkups at one primary and middle school in Bucharest, Romania. Our study cohort consisted of 266 children with evaluable data, of which 143 (53.8%) were males, with a median age of 10 years old (interquartile range: 8–11 years). In this study cohort, we have identified a prevalence of 14.3% (n = 38 cases) of MIH. Among patients diagnosed with MIH, hypomineralizations were present in 47.4% of children on the maxillary first molar, 92.1% on the mandibular first molar, 94.7% on the maxillary incisor, 36.8% on the mandibular incisor, and 5.3% on the deciduous second molar. We identified the maxillary incisor and the mandibular first molar as the most important examined sites significantly associated with the presence of MIH (p < 0.0001 each), highlighting the importance of paying focused attention to these sites during routine dental care in children. In order to establish the diagnosis of MIH, findings of hypomineralization should be present on at least one permanent first molar, according to the case definition currently in use; this definition does not include findings on the incisors. Thus, our finding that hypomineralization of the maxillary incisors is significantly associated with MIH is particularly important. While incisor hypomineralization is not diagnostic of MIH, based on our results, we conclude that it should raise the suspicion of MIH and lead to an attentive examination of the permanent molars in order to establish timely diagnosis.