Influence of molar incisor hypomineralization on oral health-related quality of life in 8-10-year-old children: a cross-sectional study.

Aim: This study used the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8-10) to compare the Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) of children with and without molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) and to evaluate the effect of MIH severity on OHRQoL in children 8-10 years of age.

Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 272 children (132 males, 48.5% and 140 females, 51.5%) 8-10-year-old, treated in a postgraduate paediatric dental clinic and undergraduate clinics at the Dental College, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates. Participants were evaluated for their dental caries and plaque status as well as the presence and severity of MIH. A CPQ8-10 was given to the children to complete by a single interviewer. SPSS v30 was used to do statistical analysis at a level of α ≤ 0.05. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the two groups and regression analysis to model the relationship between variables.

Results: The mean (SD) age of the sample was 9.0 (SD = 0.87). Of the 272 children, 159 had MIH and 113 were in the comparison group. The CPQ8-10 mean overall score and the scores of all domains in MIH-affected children were significantly higher than in children in the comparison group 42.5 (SD = 24.34) vs. 12.0 (SD = 10.96); p < .001, showing that MIH could have a negative impact on OHRQoL. Similar trends were seen in all four subdomains. Regarding severity, CPQ8-10 mean scores increased from mild to severe forms of MIH, while males showed higher CPQ8-10 scores than females.

Conclusion: Compared to children without MIH, children with MIH exhibit a lower OHRQoL; the impairment increases with severity in all four domains of oral health, functional limitations, emotional and social well-being.