Abandonment Of A Neonate With Natal Tooth

Abstract

A natal tooth is one that is already present in the mouth when a neonate is born while a neonatal tooth erupts within the first 28 days of life. Cultural views of natal teeth can differ significantly from positive to extremely negative. In Africa, especially in Nigeria, societal myths have led to unpleasant social experiences. Many African tribes believe that children born with teeth will bring misfortune to all the people they would interact with while others believe that such a condition can be regarded as a criterion for determining if a child is a witch.
It has been documented that the parents of such infants are stigmatized and often ostracized, rejected, scorned and shunned. Such parents have occasionally resorted to extreme actions such as infanticide or abandonment of the child. This case report documents a 3 day old male neonate with natal tooth who was abandoned on a refuse dump site at Olusosun, a rural community in Lagos State; and was brought to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH) by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) officials.

Key words: Natal tooth; LASUTH; Abandonment