Societal opinions on the eruption of deciduous maxillary central incisors before the mandibular ones in Nigeria.

This paper reports perceptions and beliefs about babies who erupt upper deciduous teeth before the lower in two rural Yoruba communities. 96.5% of respondents expected that the lower incisors should erupt first. The majority (70.4%) believed the eruption of upper teeth before the lower to be a sign of an evil child. This observation was, however, related to educational status and age. The higher the educational level of the respondents, the higher the proportion of respondents who viewed the occurrence as a mere individual variation. Similarly, the older people tended to view the eruption of upper deciduous teeth before the lower as evidence of an evil child. The need for an educational package directed at similar populations in order to reduce anxiety related to this human variation is stressed. It is suggested that a transcultural approach be taken to cater for the child and family welfare in a situation where societal pressure is high.