Abstract
Aim
This was to investigate the perception of general dental practitioners (GDPs), specialist dentists and dental students regarding the prevalence, severity and aetiological factors of molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH).
Methods
Questionnaires were distributed to 407 general and specialist dentists who were members of the Saudi Dental Association and 222 fourth and fifth year dental students at College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh. The questionnaires investigated the perception and knowledge of MIH, including clinical experience, treatment, views on aetiology and need for further training in management of MIH.
Results
A total of 230 (56.5 %) dental practitioners and 149 (67.1 %) dental students completed the questionnaire. The majority of GDPs (76.9 %) and specialists (86.3 %) had encountered MIH in their practice. The majority of specialist dentists (56.1 %) and GDPs (60.4 %) reported that MIH could come second to dental caries as a public health concern. A range of possible aetiological factors were identified by both students and dentists with genetics the most common. The majority of GDPs (90.5 %) and specialists (72.4 %) reported a need for further training in MIH, in particular, regarding treatment. The majority of dental students (64 %) had not heard of MIH and most were in favour of including MIH-associated cases in the undergraduate curriculum of paediatric dentistry. Students were more likely to request training in diagnosis than treatment.
Conclusion
MIH is a condition encountered by Saudi dentists who advocated the need for clinical training regarding MIH-aetiological and therapeutic fields. Students have little exposure to MIH and are likely to have similar concerns upon commencement of dental practice.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Shaffi Ahmed, Associate Professor at King Saud University for assisting with the statistical analysis for this study.
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Dr. Mihiri Silva declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Latifa Alhowaish declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Aghareed Ghanim declares that she has no conflict of interest. Prof. David Manton declares that he has no conflict of interest.
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Silva, M.J., Alhowaish, L., Ghanim, A. et al. Knowledge and attitudes regarding molar incisor hypomineralisation amongst Saudi Arabian dental practitioners and dental students. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 17, 215–222 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-016-0230-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-016-0230-3