Enamel defects in primary canines related to traditional treatment of teething problems in Sudan

Abstract

Summary. In parts of Sudan and some other countries, teething is thought to be the cause of severe health problems in infants, and a traditional treatment involves lancing the alveolar process over the unerupted canines with a heated needle, a procedure known as ‘haifat’. Three hundred and ninety‐eight children aged 4–8 years were examined for the presence of enamel defects on primary canines, and their parents or guardians were questioned regarding past teething problems and their treatment. Two hundred and fifty‐eight (65%) of the children had experienced health problems that had been attributed to teething, and 89 (22%) had been subjected to ‘haifat’. ‘Haifat’ had been practised by all socio‐economic groups, but was most prevalent in the lower groups. Enamel defects on the buccal surface of the primary canines were found in 25 (28%) of the children in the ‘haifat’ group and in 25 (8%) of the other children. Résumé. Dans certaines régions du Soudan et également dans d'autres pays, l'éruption dentaire est considérée comme la cause de maladies graves chez l'enfant. Le traitement tradionnel est la perforation du processus alvéolaire des canines non évoluées par une aiguille chaufée, un procédée connu sous le nom de' “haifat''. Trois cent quatre vingt neuf enfants ágés de 4 à 8 ans ont été examinés en ce qui concerne les défauts d'émail des canines temporaires et leurs parents ou gardiens ont été questionnés en ce qui concerne les problémes d'éruption et leur traitement. Deux cent cinquante huit enfants (65%) avaient eu des problémes de santé qui avaient été mis sur le compte de l'éruption dentaire et 89 enfants (65%) avaient été traité par” haifat''. Cette technique avait été utilisée dans tous les groupes socioéconomiques mais de façon plus fréquente dans les groupes les plus défavorisés. Des défauts d'émail des canines temporaires ont été trouvés chez 25 enfants du groupe “haifat'' (28%) et chez 25 (8%) chez les autres enfants. Zusammenfassung. In Teilen von Sudan und einigen anderen Ländern wird Zahnen als Ursache von schweren Gesundheitsproblemen angesehen. Eine traditionelle “Behandlungsmethode'' besteht in dem” Bestreichen'' des Alveolarkammes in der Region der Eckzähne mit einer erhitzten Nadel. Diese Prozedur wird als “Haifat'' bezeichnet. 398 Kinder zwischen 4 und 8 Jahren wurden untersucht, ob ihre Eckzähne Schmelzdeffekte aufweisen. Die Eltern wurden über Zahnungsprobleme und deren Behandlung befragt. 258 (65%) der Kinder hatten Gesundheitsprobleme welche dem Zahnen zugeschrieben wurden 89 (22%) wurden mit der Haifat‐Methode” behandelt''. Diese Kinder kamen aus alien sozio‐ökonomischen Schichten, aber vorweigend aus den Niedrigeren. Schmelzdefekte auf den bukkalen Flächen wurden bei 25 Kindern (28%) der Haifat‐Gruppe und bei 25 Kindern (8%) der anderen Gruppe gefunden. Resumen. En algunos lugares de Sudan y otros países, la erupción dental se considera como la causa de problemas de salud severos en niños y un tratamiento tradicional incluye la apertura del proceso alveolar sobre el canino no erupcionad...

The traditional practice of canine bud removal in the offspring of Ethiopian immigrants

“…Missing canines in the primary dentition is generally a rare finding [14]. However, it is common among people from Eastern Africa due to the practice of bud extraction [3-11]. …”

“…The removal of incipient canine teeth in babies is practiced in many parts of Africa [3-11], with prevalence rates documented at 22% in Sudan [3], 17.2% in Uganda [4], 37.4% in Tanzania [5], and 30% in Ethiopia [6]. Although apparently rare in developed countries, canine bud removal has been reported in countries that absorb immigrants from Africa, such as the United States [2] and England [7].…”

Stress near the start of life? Localised enamel hypoplasia of the primary canine in late prehistoric mainland Southeast Asia

“…Hypoplasia in the deciduous dentition has been shown to occur in modern children from parts of Africa and African refugee populations, where lancing of the alveolar bone overlying the deciduous canine crown and the full or partial removal of the forming tooth is performed as traditional treatment for infant health problems (Dewhurst and Mason, 2001;Hassanali et al, 1995;Holan and Mamber, 1994;Muriithi and De Souza, 2002;Rasmussen et al, 1992;Rodd and Davidson, 2000;Welbury et al, 1993). Suckling (1986), in her experimental research with sheep, induced hypoplastic defects through physical trauma to developing permanent incisor crowns.…”

Inference of emergent cattle pastoralism in the southern Sahara desert based on localized hypoplasia of the primary canine

“…Many studies focus on describing defects in modern populations (Badger, 1985;Drummond et al, 1992;Duncan et al, 1988Duncan et al, , 1994Jørgensen, 1956;Li et al, 1995;Lukacs, 1991;Lukacs et al, 2001b;Lunardelli and Peres, 2006;Montero et al, 2003;Nation et al, 1987;Needleman et al, 1991;Rasmussen et al, 1992;Silberman et al, 1991;Skinner et al, 1994;Slayton et al, 2001), in prehistoric populations (Griffin and Donlon, 2008;Halcrow and Tayles, 2008;Jørgensen, 1956;Lukacs, 1999b;Lukacs et al, 2001a;Lukacs and Walimbe, 1998;Skinner, 1996;Skinner and Newell, 2000), and in modern and archaeological ape samples (Lukacs, 1999a(Lukacs, , 2001aSkinner and Newell, 2003). This literature is comparative and emphasizes etiology rather than direct interpretation of population-based data in archaeological settings -with some notable exceptions (Lukacs, 1999b;Lukacs et al, 2001a;Lukacs and Walimbe, 1998;Skinner, 1996;Skinner and Newell, 2000).…”

“…Canine crypt fenestration then exposes the developing tooth germ to "self-inflicted minor oral trauma, among infants learning to handle and mouth objects, in which ameloblasts on the labial face of the forming primary canine crown are damaged by one or more blows, which impact through deficient cortical bone forming the external wall of the crypt" (Skinner and Hung, 1989: 172). Although this linkage seems abstract, the effects of physical trauma on tooth development have been documented experimentally (e.g., Suckling, 1980) as well as clinically in the case of traditional healing practices which entail invasive dental procedures as curatives for diarrhea and fever (Edwards et al, 2008;Pindborg, 1969;Rasmussen et al, 1992). Assuming that infant teething and mouthing behavior is nearly universal, then the ultimate cause of LHPC is dietary, and in prehistoric contexts high frequencies of LHPC likely reflect: (1) seasonal scarcity of specific food items, (2) cultural and dietary practices that reduce vitamin A bioavailability, or (3) limited access to pigmented fruits and vegetables (Skinner et al, 1994;Newell, 2000, 2003).…”