Knowledge, Beliefs and Practices Associated with Teething Among Mothers in Mangalore Taluk, South India

Abstract

Background:    To assess mother’s knowledge and beliefs about teething signs and symptoms, to evaluate their  experience during the teething of their youngest child and to assess the practices undertaken by mothers to relieve the  teething symptoms. Methods: Random number of anganvadis, 5 from the rural and 5 from the urban areas of Mangalore were selected.  A cross sectional survey was conducted  using a self administered questionnaire. The questionnaire form included three sections eliciting demographic characteristics and assessing parent's knowledge, and beliefs regarding teething of their youngest child. Result: The majority of the respondents were in the age group of 28 – 37 years of age and had only primary level of education . Almost about 93% of the mothers knew that the tooth eruption starts around 6 – 7 months of age and the first tooth to erupt is the lower central incisors. About 85 % of the mothers said that the primary tooth eruption gets completed by 2 years of age. Almost 90 % parents attributed fever and diarrhea to teething.  Almost 55 % of the parents consulted a doctor for fever and diarrhea. There is no statistically significant difference between the rural and urban mothers about teething knowledge and its associated symptoms.   Conclusion: This study identified mother’s  conceptions about teething signs and symptoms. Health care providers must review and dispel long held cultural myths and beliefs about teething, acknowledge and share the evidence that tooth eruption is not strongly associated with significant symptoms.