Teething is the phenomena accompanying growth of teeth through the gums.
The effect of teething on infant health has been debated
for at least 5000 years, and traditional beliefs on the issue have still not
been entirely superseded by scientific findings. Sumerians believed teething
and worm infestation were associated. Hindu writings, as well as work by
Aristotle, Homer, Celsus, and others, describe associations between teething
and illness. Many of these authors implicated tooth emergence in childhood
mortality. The belief that teething led to childhood mortality, seizures,
diarrhea, fever, or other serious conditions was criticized as early as the
17th century by Francois Ranchin. Yet in 1839, 5016 deaths in England and Wales
were attributed to teething. Illingworth wrote in 1975 that “teething produces
nothing but teeth.” However, as recently as 1979, parents and physicians were
identifying teething as a cause of presenting symptoms in children admitted to
the hospital. A medical evaluation of 50 of these children showed that in 48
cases the symptoms, ranging from upper respiratory infection to bacterial
meningitis. Most medical professionals now agree that teething does not cause
life-threatening illness, but they disagree about which symptoms may be
associated with tooth eruption.
Teething in Infants |
However several studies with different study designs has revealed symptoms
believed to be associated with teething such as loss of appetite for solids and liquids, drooling,
biting or chewing various objects, congestion
or runny nose, cough, sleep disturbances, restlessness and
irritability, rash, spitting up or vomiting, and diarrhea and fever or mild
temperature elevation. Anyhow It is important to inform parents that none of these
symptoms consistently and accurately predict when teething is about to occur
and any of other organic disorders should be ruled out in infants with these
symptoms.
The recommended intervention for teething is
the use of cold items because the cold acts as an anesthetic for the gums.
Refrigerated pacifiers, Spoons, Clean wet washcloths, Frozen bagels or bananas,
refrigerated teething rings can be offered to the infants at this stage.Topical
teething gels sold over-the-counter (OTC) are often used for teething but may carry
serious risks, including local reactions, seizures with overdose, and methemoglobinemia. Benzocaine containing teething gels should not be used in
infants or children under 2 years of age. If necessary, parents should be instructed
on proper dosing of analgesic medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
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