{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T10:06:50Z","timestamp":1789553210744,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Molar\u2013incisor hypomineralization (MIH) causes post-eruptive enamel breakdown, hypersensitivity, and altered chewing, which may unbalance occlusal force distribution and masticatory muscle activity. The functional consequences of restoring MIH-affected teeth remain poorly understood. This exploratory pilot study assessed the feasibility of measuring short-term changes in occlusal force distribution and masticatory muscle activity after restorative treatment of MIH-affected molars. Methods: In this prospective single-arm pilot study, five children (aged 8\u201310 years) with symptomatic MIH affecting 10 first permanent molars were treated with a bulk-fill glass-hybrid material. Lateral occlusal force distribution (LOFD) was pre-specified as the primary exploratory outcome, bilateral masseter and anterior temporalis surface electromyography during maximum voluntary clenching as a secondary exploratory outcome, and the Schiff Cold Air Sensitivity Scale (SCASS) as an additional exploratory measure. Assessments were performed at baseline and three months. Results: All five participants completed follow-up. Mean deviation from bilateral occlusal balance fell from 11.14 \u00b1 6.12 to 4.63 \u00b1 2.89 percentage points (pp); the mean change was 6.51 pp (95% CI 0.44\u201312.57; p = 0.041 nominal; Cohen\u2019s dz = 1.33), and all five children changed in the same direction. Hypersensitivity resolved in all five participants (SCASS = 0 at T1 in every treated tooth); because the 10 teeth were nested within 5 children, this outcome is reported descriptively, with a participant-level sensitivity analysis (p = 0.063). No statistically detectable changes in the assessed sEMG parameters were observed over the three-month follow-up. Conclusions: In this small exploratory cohort, restoration of MIH-affected molars was followed by resolution of hypersensitivity and a reduction in lateral occlusal force asymmetry, while masticatory muscle activity showed no detectable change. These hypothesis-generating findings should not be read as evidence of efficacy; LOFD was feasible to measure and merits evaluation as an exploratory functional outcome in adequately powered controlled studies. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07336212.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13091256","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T09:06:37Z","timestamp":1789549597000},"page":"1256","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Short-Term Changes in Occlusal Force Distribution and Masticatory Muscle Activity After Restorative Treatment in Children with Molar\u2013Incisor Hypomineralization: An Exploratory Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Afra Nur","family":"Sava\u015f","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Institute of Health Sciences, Marmara University, 34854 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"},{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Marmara University, 34854 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ba\u015fak","family":"Durmu\u015f","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Marmara University, 34854 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4899-9517","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Serdar","family":"G\u00f6zler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Istanbul Atlas University, 34408 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bet\u00fcl","family":"Karg\u00fcl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Marmara University, 34854 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"},{"name":"School of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"114","article-title":"Molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH)","volume":"4","author":"Weerheijm","year":"2003","journal-title":"Eur. 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