Abstract
Molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) is a common enamel condition, presenting with incisor opacities, which may be of psychosocial concern to children. This clinical study sought to determine whether minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve incisor aesthetics, would also improve children’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). 111 MIH patients, aged 7–16 years, referred to a UK Dental Hospital, were invited to complete the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (C-OHIP-SF19) prior to any intervention (T0) and again at one-month following the intervention (T1) for MIH. Treatment regimens included one or more of the following: Microabrasion; resin infiltration; tooth whitening; resin composite restoration. Data were obtained for 93 children with a mean age of 11 years. Mean total C-OHIP-SF19 score at T0 was 47.00 (SD = 9.29; range = 0–76) and this increased significantly at T1 to 58.24 (SD = 9.42; range = 0–76; p < 0.001, paired t-test), indicating a marked improvement in self-reported OHRQoL. There were no statistically significant differences according to gender. This is the first study to show that simple, minimally invasive dental treatment, to reduce the visibility of enamel opacities, in MIH, can have a positive impact on children’s wellbeing.
Highlights
It is well recognised that children with developmental enamel defects may experience a range of psychosocial impacts [1]
A total of 111 children who met the inclusion criteria were initially approached to participate in the study
A recent randomised clinical trial did demonstrate improved oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) following microabrasion/tooth whitening for young Brazilian adults with dental fluorosis [28]
Summary
It is well recognised that children with developmental enamel defects may experience a range of psychosocial impacts [1]. For young people with visible defects, poor dental appearance and a sense of feeling different may have a negative effect on social interactions and self-esteem [2,3]. The reported severity and nature of these impacts can be hugely variable, depending on the child’s sense of self and the social context at different time points in their life, such as moving to a new school [4,5]. It has been suggested that children with highly visible incisor opacities may be exposed to negative social judgements from their peers, with the common misconception that affected individuals do not care about their appearance or are lazy about brushing their teeth [6].
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