Abstract:

Background: Infant Oral Mutilation is the term applied to a traditional practice performed, usually by Traditional Healers (TH) but also by Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) as an accepted remedy for illness. This practice is common in some parts of East Africa and it is known by many names. In Tanzania and Kenya it is known as nylon/ plastic/ false teeth” an in Uganda as “ebiinyo, Infants presenting with diarrhea and/or fevers are subjected to the removal of unerupted baby teeth as the swelling of the gums is mistakenly thought to indicate the presence of “tooth worms. The tooth buds, usually of the anterior teeth (most cases are canines), are prised out of the gum, without anesthesia, with unsterile tools such as a bicycle spoke, a hot nail, or a penknife. These procedures may cause blood loss, leading to anemia. These unhygienic methods can cause septicemia, tetanus, transmission of blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and can on occasions be fatal. Long term effects can include eradication and/or malformation of other primary and permanent teeth in the area.

Main objective: To assess prevalence, perception and practices of infant Oral Mutilation (IOM) among mothers of children below three years in Missenyi district.

Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study of mothers with children under three years of age. Multistage sampling was used to obtain the sample size. Structured questionnaire and focus group questions were used to collect data. Data were entered by using Epi data and analysed by using STATA according to the objective of the study.

Results: Recruited for the study 169 children, 97(57.4%) were males and 72(42.6%) were females. Among these children 33(19.5%) had infants oral mutilation, 21(63.6%) were males and 12(36.4%) were females. No significant association was found between IOM and parent’s level of education and religion. Regarding knowledge 16(9.5%) of respondents know that false or plastic teeth are just normal teeth and teething trouble which occurs does not require major treatment like teeth extraction in the Focus Group Discussions (FGD) carried out among elderly women (n=40) there was a strong belief that tooth buds contains worms which may burst and release poisonous fluid which if swallowed by the child causes death. Eighty four (49.7%) of respondents said that the practice has complications to the health of the child, majority of these 62(36.7%) indicated that severe bleeding was common complication.

Conclusion: IOM practice still prevails in Missenyi district. Inadequate health education and false belief makes the problem persistent.