#197 – Infant Oral Mutilation: an East African dilemma 🗓
With Prof Raman Bedi
Infant oral mutilation (IOM) is a traditional practice that is prevalent in many African countries but practised most often in East Africa.
IOM involves extracting an infant's unerupted primary teeth or ‘tooth buds' without anaesthesia. This practice does not have any health benefits.
It is typically motivated by the belief that existing tooth buds, which may resemble worms under the mucosa, may be a cause of childhood diseases, such as diarrhoea and vomiting. Thus, tooth buds are removed to prevent and treat those diseases. In the talk Raman Bedi will describe the procedure and the End IOM campaign.
Further resources:
- The End IOM campaign
- Video of IOM procedure
- Global Child Dental Fund
- Raising the awareness of infant oral mutilation - myths and facts. Kemoli AM. Contemp Clin Dent 2015;6:S137-8.
- Infant oral mutilation data collection, clinical management and public health guidelines. British Dental Journal 2022, Volume 233 No.12 : 1042 – 1046
Prof Raman Bedi
Raman Bedi was Chief Dental Officer – England from October 2002 to October 2005. He was the founder and director of the Senior Dental Leadership programme from 2007-2021.
In September 2005, he chaired the UK European Union Presidency dental programme. Raman was head of dental public health at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College of London, and Director of the National Centre for Transcultural Oral Health from 1996–2002. From 1998-2008 he was the director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre at the Eastman Dental Institute.
Currently, he is an Emeritus Professor at King’s College London. He holds several international honorary chairs, including an “Extraordinary Professorship” in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa and the University of Pennsylvania.
