Can molar incisor hypomineralization cause dental fear and anxiety or influence the oral health-related quality of life in children and adolescents?—a systematic review

PURPOSE: Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) are first molars with developmental enamel defects and are common findings in many child populations. The porous nature of MIH enamel and the presence of post-eruptive enamel breakdown leads to the presence of hypersensitivity and pain, which is often the patient’s main complaint and can result in dental fear and affect the quality of life. The present review aims to summarise the evidence for the ability of MIH to cause problems, such as dental fear and anxiety (DFA) and to summarise the evidence for a possibly negative impact on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of MIH affected children and adolescents, in a systematic review. METHOD: Two searches, (1) MIH AND dental anxiety and (2) MIH AND Quality of life, were performed in MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus. Selection demands were fulfilling the MIH diagnosis criteria using validated instruments and questionnaires for assessing DFA and OHRQoL, respectively. RESULTS: After removing duplicates and articles not fulfilling the selection demands, 6 studies concerning MIH and DFA and 8 studies concerning MIH and OHRQoL remained. CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with diagnosed MIH did not seem to suffer from increased dental fear and anxiety, but indicated an impaired oral health-related quality of life.