Comparing the Dental Fear of Children With Molar-incisor Hypomineraliza-tion and Children With Permanent First Molars Without Hypoplasia

Molar-Incisor Hypomineralizationis (MIH), a developmental enamel defect of incisor and molars, can lead to the fear of dentistry in children. The current study aimed to evalu-ate the dental fears of children aged 8 to 12 years with MIH and children with permanent first molars without hypoplasia using the standard Dental Subscale of the Children’s Fear Survey Schedule (CFSS-DS).

In this descriptive- cross-sectional study, the participants included 200 students aged 8-12 years in Isfahan City, Iran, in 2020. Moreover, the study subjects were selected from the second to sixth-grade students. In total, 52 patients with MIH and 148 patients with permanent first molar without hypoplasia were selected to participate in this research. The CFSS-DS was used to collect the necessary information. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS by descriptive statistical tests.

The Mean±SD CFSS-DS score was obtained as35±15, indicating the average dental fear in the participating children. Moreover, 62.5% of children were afraid of dentistry. The rate of dental fear in girls was 9 times higher than that in boys (P<0.05). Additionally, the rate of dental fear in children with MIH was 46 times higher than that in their counterparts without this disorder (P<0.05). The frequency of dental fear in children with severe disorder was significantly higher than that in children with mild defects (P=0.000).

The fear of dentistry in children with MIH was significantly higher than that in children with molar teeth without hypoplasia.