[Molar-incisor hypomineralization and its association with dental caries among adolescents in the European North of Russia].

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study to assess the prevalence of MIH among adolescents in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO), the Komi Republic (KR), and the Murmansk region (MR), as well as associations between MIH and caries experience.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 250, 189, and 126 adolescents aged 15-17 years, residing in NAO (Naryan-Mar and 3 rural settlements), KR (Syktyvkar), and MR (Murmansk), respectively. The Weerheijm criteria were used to diagnose MIH. Caries experience was assessed using the WHO methodology (2013) with the calculation of the DMFT index and its components. All indicators were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Differences in categorical and numeric variables were analyzed using non-parametric Pearson's chi-squared and Mann-Whitney tests, respectively.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MIH in the studied regions was 5.20% in NAO, 3.70% in KR, and 4.76% in MR. The CPI index was significantly higher in adolescents with MRC of 7.62 than in those with normal enamel structure of 5.48 due to a greater number of carious teeth of 2.23 and 1.13, respectively. When assessing the prevalence of MIH by gender, it was determined that in the of Komi Republic, the frequency of MIH among girls was significantly higher - 6.00% versus 1.12% among boys, while statistical significance was not achieved.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of MIH among adolescents in the studied areas of the Russian North is significantly lower than in most other countries. However, adolescents with MIH exhibit a significantly higher intensity of carious lesions, warranting the development of preventive measures targeting MIH.