Background
Children with molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) often experience tooth hypersensitivity (TH), triggered by daily activities. Current assessment methods rely on pain-inducing stimuli and are adapted from adult or generic measures, raising concerns about their relevance for children with MIH. A deeper understanding of children’s perceptions of TH is, therefore, essential.
Aim
The primary aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a child-centred, condition-specific oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) measure to assess the impact of MIH-related TH.
Materials and methods
Ethical approval (REC 23/SC/0368) and written informed consent and assent were obtained. Molar incisor hypomineralisation was classified using the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry’s criteria (Ghanim et al., 2015). Three research stages included children aged 6-16years. Stage one involved 17 semi-structured interviews exploring TH experiences, with iterative thematic analysis until no new themes were identified. Stage two included cognitive interviews with 29 children and a patient and public involvement (PPI) and a Delphi study with 17 experts and three parents. In Stage three, 103 children completed the MIH-TH measure and the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ11–14-ISF:16) at baseline, 2-3 weeks later and at least 3 months post-treatment. Rasch and psychometric analyses were undertaken to evaluate the measure.
Results
Five themes were identified in relation to TH: description, triggers, impact, responses and experiences within the dental setting. Children used rich vocabulary and described adaptation strategies and the invisible nature of TH. The measure demonstrated good internal consistency (McDonald’s omega: 0.87), moderate-to-good test–retest reliability (IC: 0.74), strong correlation with the global question (Spearman’s r: 0.78) and CPQ11–14-ISF:16 (r: 0.49) and good responsiveness to change.
Conclusions
This study describes the development and evaluation of MIH-TH, the first child-centred OHRQoL measure designed to assess MIH-related TH. Grounding MIH-TH in children’s lived experiences supports validity for research and clinical uses.
