A Survey of Teething Beliefs and Related Practices among Child Healthcare Workers in Chennai City, India Rekha U. Vidhya1,*, Anita M.1, Kandavel Sadhana1 1Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, Sree Balaji Dental College and Hospital, BIHER, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India *Corresponding Author: Vidhya Rekha U. Dept. of Public Health Dentistry, Sree Balaji Dental College and Hospital, BIHER, Chennai-600100, Tamil Nadu, India, Contact Address: No. 283, Velachery Main Road, Chennai-600100, Tamil Nadu, India. Phone Number: 9176997111
Online published on 31 March, 2020. Abstract Purpose To determine the perceptions and related practices among the dentists and doctors regarding teething and its associated symptoms in Chennai. Materials and Method This was a cross sectional study which consisted of 140 child healthcare workers which included dentists and doctors in the hospitals and clinics in Chennai. Results Out of the 140 dentists and doctors, a total of 134 dentists and doctors believed in the systemic signs and symptoms of teething in children. Among which 66(49.3%) doctors and 68(50.7%) dentists believed in teething problems. The source of teething beliefs included 22(15.7%) on books, 55(39.3%) on local myths, 58(41.4%) on personal experience and 5(3.6%) on other sources(school and workshop acquaintances). The teething symptoms which were manifested by the children were vomiting 69(49.3%) ranked first in the third column, fever 65(46.4%) which ranked second in the first column is believed to be associated with teething, Irritability 62(44.3%) ranked second in the second column and followed by Gum redness 52(37.1%). The most common drugs which were prescribed by the doctors and dentists were, paracetamol 133(95%) and antibiotics 96(68.5%). Conclusions Most of the dentists and doctors do believe in the signs and symptoms caused during the eruption of teeth in children. They also prescribe drugs for those symptoms. Top Keywords Tooth eruption, teething symptoms, teething beliefs. Top |