Brief description - Infant Oral Mutilation (IOM) is the technical name for a cultural practice prevalent in many parts of Africa, involving the removal of infant’s healthy deciduous teeth, normally by traditional healers operating in rural communities. This practice, typically carried out with un-sterile instruments like knives, bicycle spokes or simply fingernails not only causes considerable pain and suffering to victims but often leads to malformation of underlying adult teeth.

However, the most serious consequence is life-threatening infections, which are commonplace and lead to serious illness or death. In one region of Uganda, infant deaths due to septicaemia and other infections following infant oral mutilation are reported to be 2nd only to malaria in cause of infant mortality. Despite this, infant oral mutilation is hardly recognised, let alone strategically or significantly combated, as a major health issue.    

Dentaid Action - Dentaid has been at the forefront of raising awareness about Infant Oral Mutilation over the past ten years. As well as encouraging research, the charity has also been involved in supporting a number of clinics and projects who have been combating the practise and treating the consequences of it on the ground amongst rural communities, particularly in Uganda. However, the need for the development and resource of these local programmes, as part of needed national and international strategies, are crucial if this practise is to be eradicated.

Future Plans - Dentaid has adopted combating Infant Oral Mutilation (I.O.M) as one of it's major priorities over the next few years. In the next year, Dentaid intends to embark upon a process, likely to be based upon the following format:-  

• First Stage - Research and literature review - Efforts will be made to pull together and review all the disparate research and information from all available sources about IOM. These will be written up into a comprehensive review paper, designed to aid further stages of the project.  
• Second stage - Consultation - Dentaid will attempt to draw together a group of experts in community and international development, sociology, anthropology and representatives from relevant health disciplines, to review the available data and together devise an initial IOM strategy.
• Third stage – Implementation – Dependent on the recommendations of the 2nd stage consultation, this may involve necessary further research, advocacy and design of community-based approaches aimed at eliminating the practise. Then identification and resourcing of suitable partners on the ground to work with to physically implement preventive strategies.

Area of activity/(Partner Organisations) – Area of activity to be determined. The practice is mainly found at present in South Central Africa including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan and others). However, the first stage (research and literature review) will take place in the UK. The second stage will take place mainly through initial email communication, followed by a conference of experts outlined above at a central location. Third stage and partners will be based within IOM affected countries.   
 
Anticipated Outcome

• The establishment and implementation of local, national and international strategies and activities, to start combating the practice of infant oral mutilation.

 More information about IOM