Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr;25(4):2093-2100.
doi: 10.1007/s00784-020-03519-7. Epub 2020 Aug 18.

Prevalence of molar-incisor-hypomineralisation (MIH) among 6-12-year-old children in Central Hesse (Germany)

S Amend  1 , C Nossol  1 , S Bausback-Schomakers  2 , C Wleklinski  3 , C Scheibelhut  4 , J Pons-Kühnemann  4 , Roland Frankenberger  5 , N Krämer  1
Affiliations

Prevalence of molar-incisor-hypomineralisation (MIH) among 6-12-year-old children in Central Hesse (Germany)

S Amend et al. Clin Oral Investig. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to assess and compare the prevalence of MIH among 6-12-year-old school children living either in a rural area of Central Hesse (Germany) or in the city of Frankfurt on the Main (Germany). A possible association between hypomineralised second primary molars (HSPM) and MIH was investigated. Furthermore, the MIH prevalence data of the rural area were compared with those of a previous study conducted in this area in the school year 2002/2003.

Methods: In the school year 2014/2015, 2103 children (6-12 years of age) were examined during the annual school-based dental examinations prescribed by law at nine schools in the rural area of Central Hesse (LDK) and five schools in the city of Frankfurt on the Main (Ffm). Eight previously calibrated dentists working for the public healthcare authorities assessed the prevalence of HSPM/MIH (EAPD criteria/severity scale by Wetzel and Reckel) and the caries experience (dmft/DMFT).

Results: The prevalence of HSPM/MIH amounted 3.2%/9.4% in LDK and 2.9%/17.4% in Ffm. In the majority of cases, children with MIH had demarcated opacities. In LDK, hypomineralised first permanent molars were most commonly affected by severity degree 2, whereas in Ffm, severity degree 1 was predominant. Children suffering from HSPM had an odds ratio of 11.32 (95% CI: 6.73-19.03) for having MIH as well. Compared with the results of 2002/2003 in LDK (prevalence of MIH 5.9%), the MIH prevalence increased by 3.5% in the rural area. All in all, the caries experience among children under investigation was low (DMFT 0.14-0.15).

Significance: MIH may be diagnosed in school children living in different areas of Germany with regional variations (rural-urban comparison). The presence of HSPM is of predictive value for MIH. The increasing number of hypomineralised first permanent molars over 12 years of time in the rural area indicates a need for further investigation on the aetiology of MIH.

Keywords: Children; Epidemiology; Germany; HSPM; MIH; Molar-incisor-hypomineralisation; Prevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Weerheijm KL, Jälevik B, Alaluusua S (2001) Molar-incisor hypomineralisation. Caries Res 35(5):390–391. https://doi.org/10.1159/000047479 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jälevik B, Noren JG (2000) Enamel hypomineralization of permanent first molars: a morphological study and survey of possible aetiological factors. Int J Paediatr Dent 10(4):278–289. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-263x.2000.00210.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Weerheijm KL, Duggal M, Mejare I, Papagiannoulis L, Koch G, Martens LC, Hallonsten AL (2003) Judgement criteria for molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) in epidemiologic studies: a summary of the European meeting on MIH held in Athens, 2003. Eur J Paediatr Dent 4(3):110–113 - PubMed
    1. Raposo F, de Carvalho Rodrigues AC, Lia EN, Leal SC (2019) Prevalence of hypersensitivity in teeth affected by molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH). Caries Res 53(4):424–430. https://doi.org/10.1159/000495848 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ebel M, Bekes K, Klode C, Hirsch C (2018) The severity and degree of hypomineralisation in teeth and its influence on oral hygiene and caries prevalence in children. Int J Paediatr Dent 28(6):648–657. https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12425 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources