Prevalence of molar incisor hypomineralization and its relation with dental caries in school children of Udupi District, South India

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) and its relationship with dental caries in school children of Udupi district. Materials and methods: A total of 352 school children were recruited for this study. The European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (EAPD) 2003, criteria were followed for diagnosis of MIH. Dental caries was recorded using World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (1997) under natural day light. Results: The prevalence of MIH was seen to be 27% (n = 95). A total of 323 teeth had hypomineralization (106 were incisors and 217 were molars). The lower molars (n = 127) were more frequently affected than the upper molars (n = 90). Overall the maxillary incisors (n = 68) were more affected than the mandibular incisors (n = 38). Amongst the children with MIH, the mean number of decayed teeth was significantly lower than mean number of hypomineralized teeth in first permanent molars and first permanent molars and incisors (p < 0.001 and < 0.001) respectively. The mean decayed teeth in first permanent molar and incisors were significantly higher in subjects with MIH than without MIH (p < 0.001). Poisson regression analysis showed a significant positive association between MIH and dental caries (B = 1.43; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of MIH was relatively high and was associated with dental caries.