A comparative investigation of pain sensitivity and anxiety levels in teethwith molar-incisor hypomineralisation treated at the dental clinic

In this study, it is aimed to investigate possible etiologic factors in patients with molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH), to determine the levels of dental anxiety before and after treatment, and to determine the level of pain experienced during treatment. The comparison of the dental anxiety and pain levels of children with MIH and with unaffected enamel is predicted to provide guidance in the avoid of behavior management problems encountered in the treatment of MIH. In this study, sixty children aged between 6 and 12 who were referred to Ege University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry were participated. The study group consisted of 30 patients with MIH, while 30 patients with unaffected enamels were included in the control group. Treatment of left or right upper molar teeth which found caries in each two groups was undertaken with local anesthesia (Ultracain® DS, Aventis Pharma, Istanbul, Turkey). Corah Dental Anxiety Scale was used for the evaluation of dental anxiety. The short form of Spielberg's State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Wong-Baker Scale were used to describe how he/she felt before and during treatment. In order to rate the pain during the treatment, the Numeric Pain Rating Scale was used. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 program. Chi-square Test and Fisher's Exact Chi-square test were used. The Mann-Whitney-U Test and the Wilcoxon Test were performed to comparisons between the groups. As a result of the statistical evaluations, no significant difference was found between the MIH group and the control group in terms of dental anxiety. Although the level of pain during treatment was higher in the MIH group, it was found that it was not statistically significant. It is also found that there is a significant relationship between the pain experienced during the treatment and the level of dental anxiety at the time of treatment (p<0,05). According to results of this study the anxiety level during treatment is lower than the initial anxiety level. As a result of this study, dental anxiety can be prevented by using appropriate behavior management techniques and achieve pain control.