Peer-reviewed article
Infant oral mutilation: data collection, clinical management and public health guidelines.
Anjum Z, Bridge G, Bedi R ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001Infant oral mutilation (IOM) is a traditional practice in East Africa involving extraction of unerupted primary tooth buds in infants. The practice carries serious health risks including blood loss, infection, bloodborne disease transmission, and long-term dental damage. This paper presents a standardised data collection tool for healthcare practitioners to diagnose, manage and monitor IOM cases, along with clinical guidelines for acute case management and recommendations for community education programmes to prevent the practice.
Key points
- IOM involves extraction of an infant's unerupted primary tooth buds and is practised primarily in East Africa
- Immediate health risks include blood loss, infection, and transmission of bloodborne diseases such as HIV
- IOM leads to long-term dental complications including malformation of permanent dentition
- A standardised data collection tool was developed for healthcare practitioners to enable consistent diagnosis, management and monitoring
- Community education and engagement programmes are recommended as part of global efforts to eradicate the practice
Limitations
This is a descriptive tool and guideline paper that does not present empirical evidence of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent IOM or measure prevalence rates. The document does not evaluate specific prevention or community engagement programmes.
Abstract
Infant oral mutilation (IOM) is a traditional practice involving extraction of an infant's unerupted primary tooth buds. IOM has implications for oral and overall health due to blood loss, infection or transmission of bloodborne diseases, such as human immunodeficiency virus. IOM also leads to long-term dental complications, such as malformation of the child's permanent dentition. IOM is practised primarily in East Africa but can also be seen among immigrant populations in other countries. Currently, there are no tools for a comparative IOM diagnosis and reporting. The aim of this paper is to describe a data collection tool for healthcare practitioners, which was created based on the existing literature and a clinical consultation with senior clinical and public health physicians working in the field.The tool can be used to record IOM-related data for appropriate diagnosis, management and treatment, as well as for monitoring preventive interventions on a community level. Furthermore, this article also summarises clinical guidelines to support practitioners with the management of acute IOM cases. The article concludes by providing recommendations and examples of community education and engagement programmes that could guide the development of interventions to eradicate IOM globally.