Teething myths in Nigerian rural Yoruba communities.

Abstract

Systemic and local disturbances have often been attributed to the eruption of human primary dentition. Several orthodox and folk remedies exist in some populations to prevent and treat these symptoms blamed on teething. The inherent danger in the persistence of teething myths is the danger that signs and symptoms of some diseases and conditions may be ignored if they are viewed as being merely a part of the teething process. Such behaviour could sometimes be detrimental to the child's health. This study investigated the knowledge and beliefs of two rural Yoruba communities about teething. 58% of the 622 respondents believed that teething may be accompanied by various problems including fever, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis. The higher the educational status, the lower the proportion of respondents who believed that teething is accompanied by a disease. There is clear indication of the need to include scientific information on teething in the health educational packages directed at different levels within these communities.