Prevalence of hypomineralised second primary molars and molar incisor hypomineralisation in patients with cleft lip and/or palate

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypomineralised second primary molars (HSPM) and molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) in cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) patients.

A retrospective analysis of intraoral photographs of CL/P patients was done. All patients born between 2000 and 2011, and visiting the cleft team of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, were included. Their photos were scored on the presence and severity of HSPM and MIH using criteria formulated by the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. The outcomes were compared with data of the general population, extracted from the Generation R study.

The photos of 535 CL/P patients were evaluated. The overall prevalence of HSPM in CL/P patients was 15.2%, of MIH 12.8%. HSPM and MIH prevalence was significantly higher (both p < 0.001) compared to prevalence in the general population. No significant differences were found in prevalence of HSPM nor of MIH in CL/P patients based on gender (p = 0.891 resp. p = 0.405), cleft type (p = 0.282, resp. p = 0.415), Pierre Robin (p = 0.837, resp. p = 0.169) or other comorbidities (p = 0.553, resp. p = 0.617). CL/P patients with HSPM were almost 3 times more likely diagnosed with MIH than CL/P patients without HSPM (OR = 2.57, p = 0.002).

The prevalence of HSPM and MIH is higher in patients with CL/P than in the general population.