Source 24

Eruption of teeth (teething) is defined as the movement of the teeth from their pre-eruptive position in the alveolar bone through the mucosa into the oral cavity.
Teething time is of great interest to physicians, dentists, and particularly parents who consider this is an important event in their children’s lives. The event is, therefore, eagerly awaited by all being an important milestone in an infant’s first year of life.
Teething generally begins around 6 months of age and continues until the baby is about 3 years old. In years gone by, numerous customs were observed to ensure that misfortune would not befall on a teething child and the process would go on smoothly. We may like to think that we live in a sophisticated age, but even in the 21st century, many customs and superstitions linger on. People in all socio-economic classes, educational levels, age groups, and ethnic backgrounds still believe that teething causes ailments.
The beliefs and superstitions associated with teething throughout history appear amusing and it may cause concern that the profession was so willing to go along with practices so incorrect. Yet, it is sobering to appreciate that our historic colleagues were acting on their existing knowledge and their professional and personal standing relied heavily on their reputation amongst their peers and patients.

TEETHING SUPERSTITIONS IN ASIA
In Pakistan, some Punjabi mothers perform a special ritual by arranging a ceremony where a person other than the baby’s mother, throws chewed coconut in the baby’s face when he is about to cut his first teeth hoping his teeth will be as good as the person who is chosen to throw coconut.
Coral necklaces are often placed on children to give them relief from teething in Japan.
The Koris (Hindu weavers) in North Western India believe that feeding a hen to a teething child will relieve his trouble. Amber teething necklaces are tied around the baby’s neck in various Asian cultures.
Bury your child’s first tooth in cow-dung and throw it over your roof, it will hasten the child’s teething process. Christian tradition stated that donkeys originally had unmarked hides, and that it was only after Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey that they received the dark cross on their backs. The hairs from the cross were widely believed to cure a number of ailments, and were often worn in a charm around the neck to guard against whooping cough, toothache, fits, and to ease teething pains in babies. Sometimes the hairs were eaten in a sandwich instead.

TEETHING SUPERSTITIONS IN AFRICA
Biltong is a kind of cured meat that originated in South Africa.9 Biltong can be particularly used as a teething aid for babies.
• To allow a child to look into a mirror before it is a month
old will cause it trouble in teething.
• Swamp lily root, dried and strung around the neck.
• Dried pumpkin stem on string around the neck.
• Hang piece of rosary beads around neck on string.
• Nine prayer beads from rosary on string around neck.
• Take bone from animal, tie on string around neck.
• Rabbit bone (the one with the hole in it) tied on a string
around the infant’s neck.
• String an alligator tooth around infant’s neck.
• Garlic in sack around neck.
• Asafetida bag around neck.
• Asafetida tea made with rainwater.
• String with 9 knots and a little stick in the middle (from
any tree) around neck for 9 days.
• Rub gums with crayfish tail.
• Rub gums with shrimp.
• Rub gums with salt and recite certain prayers. • Drink water from mould on wood.

TEETHING SUPERSTITIONS IN NORTH AMERICA
• To be born with teeth is a sign of future greatness. History tells of men with this peculiarity, among them Napolean I, King Henry VIII, Caesar.
• In Mexico, if a child is born with teeth there is a supersti- tion that he/she will become extremely selfish.
• A baby’s tooth, set in a ring or brooch, was sometimes worn in order to bring good luck.
• Rub an unbroken egg shell on a baby’s gums, to ease the pains of teething.
• Suspend a borrowed egg in a paper sack from the ceiling, to cause the baby to cut its teeth easily.
• Sore gums in a baby may be cured by the application of a groundhog’s brains.
• Children’s first lost teeth are burned in order to prevent snaggle teeth from coming in.
• Coral necklaces are worn to ensure easy teething.

TEETHING SUPERSTITIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA
• To allow a child to look into a mirror before it is a month old will cause it trouble in teething.

TEETHING SUPERSTITIONS IN ANTARCTICA
• Coral necklaces are worn to ensure easy teething.
• If you have your newborn baby licked by a dog, it will ease
teething pains in babies.

TEETHING SUPERSTITIONS IN EUROPE
Teething superstitions, voodoos, old wives’ tales, omen...?
“Soon teeth, soon toes” is a Winchcombe (England) wise saw, signifying that there will soon be an addition to the family.
Child will cut teeth easier if he/she wears coral.
In medieval times, animal substances were still being rubbed into the gums and teething infants were encour- aged to chew on hard objects such as roots.
In 1429, Von Louffenberg, a German priest, summarized the care of a teething baby as:6
‘Now when your baby’s teeth appear, you must of these take prudent care,
For teething comes with grievous pain, so to my word take heed again.
When now the teeth are pushing through, to rub the gums thou thus shall do,
Take fat from chicken, brain from hare and these full oft on gums shall smear.
If ulcers sore thereon should come, then thou shalt rub upon the gum,
Honey and salt and oil thereto. But one thing more I counsel you,
A salve of oil of violet, for neck and throat and gums to get,
And also bathe his head a while, with water boiled with camomile.’
• In 1545, Thomas Phaire, an English physician, advised an ointment containing oil of roses and juice of night- shade. His recommended charm was, ‘The fyrst cast tooth of a colt set in silver and bone, or red coralle in lyke manner hanged about the neck, whereupon the chylde should oftentimes labour his gums’.
• The use of coral was considered protective in other ways.
‘By consent of all authors, it resisteth the force of lightening, helpeth the chyldren of the falling evil (epilepsy) and is very good to be made in powder and dronken against all manner of bleeding of the nose or fundament’.
• About the same time, Flemish physicians advised, ‘Make use, in this affliction, of the canine tooth of a wolf chiefly; and that of the she wolf has a greater reputation than that of the male wolf’.
• Ambriose Pare (1517–1592), the French army surgeon, began to advocate a new solution to the age old problem of ‘breeding teeth’: cutting the gums with a lancet.
• Eighteenth and nineteenth century therapies were varied and depended on local superstition and the beliefs of the attending physician. Doses of mercury salts, opiates, purgatives, and emetics were recommended, even if the child was experiencing diarrhea or vomiting beforehand.
• It was believed that teething troubles could be eased if the gums were rubbed with the mother’s gold wedding ring.11
• If you let a child look into a looking-glass before it is a
year old, it will cut its teeth hard.
• Jewelers in Italy sell teething rings as charms to assist
infants in teething. To these rings are frequently fastened
red coral charms, or little silver bells to drive away witches.
• The ashes of dogs’ teeth mixed with wine, “boiled down to one-half and sweetened with honey” is a boon for teething.
• Children who wore the Androdyne necklace for a single
night would cut their teeth immediately with safety.
• In some parts of England peony seeds are still used as a
prevention of convulsions in teething.

TEETHING SUPERSTITIONS IN AUSTRALIA
• When a child is teething, you should bite off the head of a living mouse, and hang the head around the child’s neck in a string, taking care, however, not to make a knot in the string.18
• Sweet pickles actually help a teething baby.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Superstitious beliefs and practices, including voodoo, persist among selected populations and cultures worldwide and affect the health practices of these people. These influences have implications for public health nursing. Many health education and public health activities undertaken by the entire dental fraternity would be benefited if specific superstitions and voodoo practices peculiar to local cultures were explained during orientation and in service programs for dentists, hygienists, nurses and other health personnel such that in treating with compassion, we can bring about more awareness in the society who attributes anything from common drooling of saliva to grotesque vomiting and even convulsions to teething!