Urban Poor Community Settings’ Knowledge and Management Practices of Mothers of Under-Two during Teething in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Background: Teething is a significant developmental milestone in infants, often accompanied by misconceptions and traditional practices among mothers. Hence, this study was designed to determine the knowledge and management practices of mothers during teething in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to select 225 mothers of under-two children. A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. An 11-point knowledge scale was used to assess respondents’ level of knowledge; poor (≤3), fair (4-7), and good (>7). A 9-point practice scale was used to assess their practice; poor (≤2), fair (3-5), and good (>5). Data was analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics at 0.05 level of significance. Results: Age of mothers was 28.8±5.9 years, 48.9% completed secondary education, and age of eruption of first tooth was more at 7-9months for 44.4% of the respondents’ children. Overall level of knowledge of respondents was fair (84.4%). Reported signs and symptoms of teething included; fever (93.8%), diarrhoea (76.4%), restlessness (77.8%) to mention a few. Many of the respondents (75.4%) had poor management practices. Fever during teething was managed by teething syrup (59.1%), paracetamol (49.3%), tepid sponging (8.0%), herbal medication (7.1%) and (1.8%) visited a physician. Significant association was found between level of education, parity and knowledge of teething among mothers with p-value of 0.035 and 0.014 respectively. Conclusion: Overall knowledge of mothers was fair; however, none of the mothers possessed a good understanding of teething management practices. This observation likely mirrors the overall fair level of knowledge about teething among the mothers.