| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
|
| Year : 2014 | Volume
: 9
| Issue : 4 | Page : 144-147 |
|
|
Knowledge, attitude, and perception of teething myths among medical doctors in Nigerian hospitals
I Aliyu1, C Duru2, TO Lawal3
1 Department of Paediatrics, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Yenagoa, Nigeria
2 Department of Paediatrics, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Yenagoa, Nigeria
3 Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria
Correspondence Address:
Dr. I Aliyu
Department of Paediatrics, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano
Nigeria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/9783-1230.157056
|
|
|
Background: Teething commences in children from the age of 6 to 8 months, however, it has been wrongly associated with systemic symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting by parents and health workers; this study hopes to determine the perception of doctors toward teething in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was cross-sectional descriptive study. Convince sampling technique was used to select 139 doctors who consented to participate in the study. Results: There were 116 males and 23 females with male to female ratio of 5:1. Fifty-nine (42.4%) of the subjects believed teething was associated with at least one symptom while 80 (57.6%) of them disagreed. Twenty-two (15.8%) of them got information on teething from their parents, 3 (2.2%) from their grand-parents, 61 (43.9%) was from school, 5 (3.6%) was from friends while 18 (12.9%), and 30 (21.6%) were from patients and their personal experiences, respectively. Seventy-nine (56.8%) did not believe in seeking for medical care for teething; while 60 (43.2%) believe in seeking for medical care for teething complaints. Ninety-six (69.1%) of the subjects will not prescribe any medication for teething; 18 (12.9%) prescribed paracetamol for teething, 10 (7.2%) prescribed antibiotics for teething, 8 (5.8%) prescribe teething powder, 3 (2.2%) prescribed teething ring; and 2 (1.4%) prescribe clean cloth usage and teething syrup, respectively. Thirty-eight (27.4%) believed teething remedies works, 99 (71.2%) of the subjects did not believed it works while 2 (1.4%) were not sure of its efficacy. Conclusion: Doctors still believe that teething is associated with systemic illnesses; therefore continuous medical education is of importance in ensuring the eradication of these myths. |
|
|
|
| [FULL TEXT] [PDF]* |
|
 |
|
