Paediatricians have said that babies with one or two teeth present at birth were perfectly normal
This statement dispels the fears, age-long myths, and discomforts parents and relatives have when their babies are born with teeth.
They discouraged parents of such children from removing the teeth, warning that the removal could later disrupt the proper growth and dentition of the child.
A study by Bankole O et al, on dispelling myths associated with natal/neonatal teeth found out that irrespective of the social class, Nigerians believed that babies with natal and neonatal teeth and their families were cursed.
Outside of Nigeria, such babies were believed to be a vampire or monsters and the teeth were a sacrilegious sign and the mark of the devil.
As a result, the parents, relatives, and in some cases nurses, as the report stated, usually insisted on the removal of the teeth and spiritual cleansing.
The child health experts explained that in newborns, the teeth are called natal teeth, and neonatal teeth in babies grow these teeth after one month of birth.
Usually, a baby starts erupting teeth at six months but the pediatricians explained that babies with natal or neonatal teeth had early onset of teeth growth and likened the situation to babies who started walking at six months.
The paediatricians, however, warned mothers of such babies to exercise extreme care and watchfulness to ensure the baby did not inhale the teeth into their lungs when it fell off, stating that this might bring harm to the baby.
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