Symptoms associated with teething in Tanzania

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Several local and systemic symptoms have been associated with teething in infants. AIM: To determine the symptoms associated with infant teething and related practices among Mbagala residents in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study involving 200 mothers with their children aged 6-36 months. A structured questionnaire was used to inquire on the local and systemic symptoms associated with teething and measures taken by the parents in the event their children get those symptoms. Data entry and analysis was done using an SPSS program version 11.0. RESULTS: Ninety-seven percent of the participants believe that teeth emergence is associated with some systemic disturbances, mostly recurrent fevers (83.5%) and diarhoea (73%). Other often associated symptoms were runny nose (17.5%), increased body temperature (16.5%) and excessive salivation/drooling (11.9%). Sixty percent of the parents stated that their children had suffered some symptoms related to teething. Most of them were sent to hospital for management or were given self medication. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that fever, diarrhoea, gingival swelling, gum irritation and redness are the symptoms often associated with teething. Most of the children who had suffered teething symptoms were taken to hospital.

Parental beliefs in and attitudes toward teething signs and symptoms: A systematic review

“…A total of 29 studies were included in the descriptive analysis 1,6,26–53 . In all included studies, parents believed in signs and symptoms of teething.…”

“…Teething is a physiological process that occurs naturally in humans between 6 and 30 months of age. The included studies were conducted in different countries and years, and they investigated whether parents believe that the process of eruption of primary teeth is accompanied by signs and symptoms in their children and the attitudes they would take when facing signs and symptoms 1,6,26–53 …”

“…In some regions of Turkey, there is a traditional approach to teething, where a special food made from cooked wheat, which looks like a tooth, is served with sugar or walnut when the first tooth erupts in the child's mouth as parents believe teething is a developmental indicator 48 . In Tanzania, 50 some communities believe in “nylon teeth,” in which people believe that an erupted primary canine tooth bud causes diarrhea, vomiting, and fever in babies, seeking treatment for traditional healers, where tooth buds are gouged. In India, a significant number of parents have used Tlismi necklaces, which are characterized by a black wire with a single bead containing several metals, in addition to homeopathic medicine 1…”