Tooth bud extraction and rubbing of herbs by traditional healers in Tanzania: prevalence, and sociological and environmental factors influencing the practices

Abstract

The practice by traditional healers in Tanzania of extracting tooth buds or of rubbing herbs on to the gingivae of young children to cure fevers and diarrhoea has been known for many years. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of these practices in different regions of Tanzania and to identify sociological and environmental factors influencing belief in their efficacy. A total of 1052 children were examined for missing primary teeth, or scars or wounds on the gingivae, resulting from tooth bud extraction. In addition, 268 parents of children who had received treatment from a traditional healer were interviewed to identify factors that led them to go to a traditional healer. The prevalence of tooth bud extraction in villages in which tooth bud extraction was first reported in the early 1980s was 0.5%, and in villages in which the practice was only recently reported it was 60%; the prevalence of rubbing herbs was 32% and @4%, respectively. Persistent fevers and diarrhoea were the major symptoms which led parents to go to a traditional healer. However, 60% of the parents had taken their child to a hospital before going to a healer; 72% of these had attended at least three times but only 5.5% reported that the treatment given in the hospital cured the condition. It is recommended that intensive health education on the causes, treatment and prevention of fevers and diarrhoea should be instituted, in conjunction with effective management of these conditions in hospital facilities.

Malocclusion Among Tanzanian Adults; Prevalence and Treatment Needs in a Group of Nursing Students in Moshi

“…Surprisingly, no malformed teeth were found in this population which had some of the subjects born during the time of high pick of infant dental mutilation practices in Tanzania. 11 The results of the current study had Angle's Class II malocclusion twice as much of the previous findings reported among the Tanzanian adolescents. 4,10 A considerable number of individuals with Angle's Class III malocclusion were found in the studied students.…”

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

“…In a study of 1050 children and their parents, Kikuilu et al reported that the major symptoms that led parents to turn to a traditional healer were: persistent fever, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, failure to suckle, and crying with unknown cause [10]. The deciduous tooth follicles most often removed are lower canines; the removal is always bilateral [6,8,10]. …”

Erupted compound odontoma: case report of a 15-year-old Sudanese boy with a history of traditional dental mutilation

“…The his torical origins of the procedure are not clear but appear to be spread over sev eral countries in East Africa including Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda. 22 A traditional healer is consulted to lance or remove this area of the gums. The age at which the lancing or extrac tion is carried out varies from as early as one month to three years with peak ages from most studies between four months to 18 months.…”