Popularly known as ‘Ebinyo’/False Teeth removal – or, Infant Oral Mutilation (IOM) is a practice common not only in Uganda, but also various regions in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
IOM is often practiced by the Bantu-Ethnic groups, where an infant’s un-erupted tooth or teeth are gouged out.
The un-erupted tooth is gouged out as a cure for medical symptoms in infants that include high fevers and diarrhea. The spreading of IOM practice in African populations is blamed on poor health literacy with regard to the common childhood illnesses. One study in Uganda revealed that adverse cases following IOM seen in the hospital peaked in tandem with the malaria and diarrheal disease cases.
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5511818/
In this article, a one Dr. Kamwine Robert of Guten Dental Clinic shares a few insights on IOM / Ebinyo …
Infant Oral Mutilation / IOM is removing the un-erupted teeth of a child, majorly the canines. The un-erupted teeth’s appearance led to IOM and birthed a wrong perception in some Bantu communities, who believed that once this teeth appeared in a child of between age 0 – 6 months, it would lead to the child’s death. Probably yes, some children used to die but it was because of the poor oral hygiene. The fluids from the un-erupted teeth would combine with the already poor oral health in children. That would lead to diarrhea, that would increase the fever, and as a result, some children would pass away. The parents of the children usually thought that by calling upon traditional healers or herbalists and elders to physically scratch off the un-erupted teeth could curb the issue, and prevent the children from dying. – Dr. Kamwine shares.
The Myth
This approach was more of a myth and untrue, since the children didn’t die because of the un-erupted teeth / ebinyo, but rather died of the poor oral hygiene.
The un-erupted teeth are actually tooth buds, which are more of a display of the canines underlying the soft tissues in the infants mouth.
The Traditional Practice & Side Effects
Doing the mutilation traditionally would injure the child direly, causing excessive bleeding, fevers, and the child would experience a lot of pain during that period. the practice was not done under anesthesia and the instruments or tools used would be unsterilized. The tools used to scratch the unerupted teeth were either metal or stones, which would even affect the buds of the milk teeth & sometimes affect the appearance of the permanent teeth that were to come in the long-run. Some teeth would not appear in adulthood, and some would appear stained and cracked as a result of traumatized buds due to the mutilation prior.
The Question would be; Why wouldn’t we do that practice again?
Because
- It is not true that un-erupted teeth in themselves lead to death. With good oral hygiene and treatment of the symptoms like fevers and diarrhea that result from poor oral hygiene, the child would be fine and the teeth would come out at the right age, through the right means and when the child’s immunity has boosted.
- Scratching the un-erupted teeth would result to pain and traumatize the child, moreover at such a young age. That trauma could last till adulthood and in some cases the victim may not recover.
As a parent; You should,
- Stop the practice
- Consult a dentist as soon as you notice the un-erupted teeth.
What you should note:
- The un-erupted teeth are different from the neonatal teeth. The neonatal appear in the mouth of a child, at birth. The un-erupted teeth appear like small fluid like swellings, promising to erupt as teeth in the future. If the teeth have already come out at birth, those are neonatal teeth.
As Guten Dental Clinic, we are reaching out to varies communities, sensitizing people about the false teeth/un-erupted teeth commonly known as Ebinyo in the Bantu speaking communities. Again, the teeth are not harmful to the child, as its a matter of treating symptoms resulting from poor oral hygiene. – Dr. Kamwine Concludes.
Want to learn more? Find Dr. kamwine on Instagram here.
