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| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2014 | Volume
: 9
| Issue : 4 | Page : 144-147 |
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Knowledge, attitude, and perception of teething myths among medical doctors in Nigerian hospitals
I Aliyu1, C Duru2, TO Lawal3
1 Department of Paediatrics, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Yenagoa, Nigeria
2 Department of Paediatrics, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Yenagoa, Nigeria
3 Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria
| Date of Web Publication | 14-May-2015 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. I Aliyu
Department of Paediatrics, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano
Nigeria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/9783-1230.157056
Background: Teething commences in children from the age of 6 to 8 months, however, it has been wrongly associated with systemic symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting by parents and health workers; this study hopes to determine the perception of doctors toward teething in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was cross-sectional descriptive study. Convince sampling technique was used to select 139 doctors who consented to participate in the study. Results: There were 116 males and 23 females with male to female ratio of 5:1. Fifty-nine (42.4%) of the subjects believed teething was associated with at least one symptom while 80 (57.6%) of them disagreed. Twenty-two (15.8%) of them got information on teething from their parents, 3 (2.2%) from their grand-parents, 61 (43.9%) was from school, 5 (3.6%) was from friends while 18 (12.9%), and 30 (21.6%) were from patients and their personal experiences, respectively. Seventy-nine (56.8%) did not believe in seeking for medical care for teething; while 60 (43.2%) believe in seeking for medical care for teething complaints. Ninety-six (69.1%) of the subjects will not prescribe any medication for teething; 18 (12.9%) prescribed paracetamol for teething, 10 (7.2%) prescribed antibiotics for teething, 8 (5.8%) prescribe teething powder, 3 (2.2%) prescribed teething ring; and 2 (1.4%) prescribe clean cloth usage and teething syrup, respectively. Thirty-eight (27.4%) believed teething remedies works, 99 (71.2%) of the subjects did not believed it works while 2 (1.4%) were not sure of its efficacy. Conclusion: Doctors still believe that teething is associated with systemic illnesses; therefore continuous medical education is of importance in ensuring the eradication of these myths. Keywords: Medical doctors, Myths, Teething
How to cite this article:
Aliyu I, Duru C, Lawal T O. Knowledge, attitude, and perception of teething myths among medical doctors in Nigerian hospitals. J Med Investig Pract 2014;9:144-7 |
How to cite this URL:
Aliyu I, Duru C, Lawal T O. Knowledge, attitude, and perception of teething myths among medical doctors in Nigerian hospitals. J Med Investig Pract [serial online] 2014 [cited 2018 Aug 24];9:144-7. Available from: http://www.jomip.org/text.asp?2014/9/4/144/157056 |
| Introduction | |  |
Teething is an integral part of skeletal development in children. Unfortunately, this process is surrounded with controversies; [1],[2],[3] with lots of misconceptions from parents, caregivers, and health-care professionals despite evidences to the contrary. [4],[5]
At approximately 6 months of life when the primary tooth erupts, protective maternal antibodies wean exposing infants to the risk of infections. Similarly, mouthing of object is common in children of this age-group and especially in a setting of poor parental and environmental hygiene further heightens the risk of infection which to the unsuspecting mother will wrongly attribute it to teething. [6] Studies have determined teething beliefs in parents, [7],[8] nurses, [9] traditional birth attendants [10] however, medical doctors who are saddled with the responsibility of educating the populaces on the teething process and also clear the myths surrounding teething should be much more informed. Therefore, it should be a cause for concern if doctors are involved in this erroneous perception associated with teething. This study, therefore, hopes to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice among medical doctors in Birnin Kebbi and Yenagoa toward perceived "teething problems."
| Materials and Methods | | |
This was cross-sectional descriptive study. Medical doctors working with Federal Medical Center Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State and Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital Yenagoa, Bayelsa State were recruited for this study. A convenience sampling technique was used to select doctors who consented to participate in the study. The participants were assured of confidentiality. The names of the participants were excluded from the questionnaire for reasons of confidentiality.
Survey instrument
This study was questionnaire-based which was self-administered. The following information were collected: Their sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of teething, myths around it, and attitude toward the use of teething remedies.
Data management
The data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 (Chicago, Illinois III). Qualitative variables were summarized using percentages and Chi-square test for testing of associations was used with P < 0.05 as being statistically significant.
| Results | | |
There were 139 doctors recruited for this study; 116 males and 23 females with male to female ratio of 5:1. Only 1 (0.7%) was <25 years while 96 (69.1%) and 42 (30.2%) were between 25 and 40 years and >40 years, respectively. Ninety-nine (71.2%) were married, 39 (28.1%) were single while only 1 (0.7%) was widowed. Sixty (43.2%) of the subject had no children of their own, 59 (42.4%) of the subjects had two children each, 18 (12.9%) had a child each, while 2 (1.4%) of the subjects had more than two children each. Seventy (50.4%) of the subjects were between 1 and 5 years postmedical school, 51 (36.7%) were >10 years postmedical student, 17 (12.2%) were between 5 and 10 years, and only 1 (0.7%) was <1-year postmedical training.
Fifty-nine (42.4%) of the subjects believed teething was associated with at least a symptom while 80 (57.6%) of them disagreed.
Seventy-nine (56.8%) did not believe in seeking for medical care for teething; while 60 (43.2%) believe in seeking for medical care for teething complaint.
Ninety-six (69.1%) of the subjects will not prescribe any medication for teething; 18 (12.9%) prescribed paracetamol for teething, 10 (7.2%) prescribed antibiotics for teething, 8 (5.8%) prescribed teething powder, 3 (2.2%) prescribed teething ring; and 2 (1.4%) advised using clean cloth for soothing, and teething syrup, respectively.
Thirty-eight (27.4%) believed teething remedies work, 99 (71.2%) of the subjects did not believe so, while 2 (1.4%) of the subjects were not sure of their efficacy.
Teething complaints
[Table 1] shows that irritability was the most common complaint related to teething, then loose stools and drooling of saliva while convulsion was the least complaint attributable to teething.
Only one of the subjects reported child loss to teething (0.7%), while 138 (99.3%) had no documented case of child loss.
Source of information on teething
[Table 2] shows that most of the subjects were informed on the teething process at medical schools, while their parents, grand-parents were also sources of information noted in this study.
[Table 3] shows that more of those that associated teething with systemic symptoms were between 1 and <5 years postgraduation from medical school, however, this observation was not statistically significant (χ2 = 2.164, df = 3, P = 0.54). | Table 3: Perception of teething symptoms with relation to number of years postmedical qualification
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There were 24 (17.3%) doctors working with surgery department, 19 (13.7%) were with the obstetrics and gynecology department, 18 (12.9%) were with the medicine department, 16 (11.5%) were with pediatrics department, and 62 (44.6%) in family medicine department [Table 4].
| Discussion | | |
The myths surrounding teething dates back to the era of Hippocrates, who once stated that teething causes itching gums, fever, drooling of saliva, diarrhea, convulsion and even cholera, tetanus and meningitis. [11] These views were accepted then, as it was also said to account for 5016 child deaths in England and Wales in 1839. [12] Though most of these perceptions are obsolete but some controversy surrounding teething still persist till date.
Several studies have proven that no specific symptoms or cluster of symptoms can rightly predict tooth eruption. [13] Though most of the respondents in this study believed that teething was not associated with significant systemic problems, however, 42.4% believed it does cause systemic complaints. This is worrisome because this is similar to the findings by Ispas et al. [13] who reported that 48% of health workers associated teething with systemic complaints and that of Coreil et al. [14] also who reported teething complaints in 35% of pediatricians while Barlow et al. [16] reported that 9.1% of pediatricians and 52% of pediatric dentists associated teething with systemic complaint. Furthermore, 30.9% of respondents indicated prescribing medication for teething; paracetamol was the most common medication prescribed similar to that of Ispas et al. [13] However, 7.2% of them in this study prescribed antibiotics for teething, this calls for concern especially with growing worries of antibiotic resistance, more so teething is not an infectious process. Teething powder and syrup are still in use despite the death of 84 Nigerian children which was attributed to a teething mixture called "My Pickin" [17] and 5.8% of the respondents prescribed teething powder. Though most respondents claimed they got information on teething from medical school and majority of them were between 1 and <5 years postgraduation, there was no significant relationship between years postqualification and teething perception which was similar to the report of Wake and Hesketh. [18] Therefore, the need for continuous medical education is important for the desired eradication of these myths. Therefore, the introduction of the continuous medical education program which is tied to obtaining the annual practicing license in Nigeria is a positive step.
| Conclusion | | |
Doctors still have wrong perceptions on teething despite evidences to the contrary. Paracetamol and teething powder are often prescribed for teething, but more worrisome is the use of antibiotics; which certainly not only increases the cost of care, but also increases the risk of progression of antibiotic resistance.
| References | | |
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[Table 1], [Table 2], [Table 3], [Table 4]
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