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Health Check: The deadly practice of gum lancing

Magazines & Reviews

The deadly practice of gum lancing

2023/09/27 GMT

BBC World Service - Health Check, The deadly practice of gum lancing

How the tradition of extracting babies’ teeth used in some communities can be fatal

How gum lancing affects babies in some communities; The Covid drug that could be leading to new mutations of the virus; Can eye exercises stop our sight deteriorating?

Gum lancing is a tradition practiced on babies in some parts of the world. It’s done with good intentions, and involves extracting the teeth of infants with symptoms such as a fever or diarrhoea in the belief it will cure them. 

It can be fatal though, with tooth buds sometimes being removed using unsafe, unsterile instruments such as nails, and without anaesthesia.

We hear from a family in Kenya who lost children that underwent the procedure, a dentist raising awareness of its dangers in the country, and Claudia Hammond speaks to dental public health expert Dr Kristina Wanyonyi-Kay to find out more about the practice.

Claudia is also joined by BBC health reporter Smitha Mundasad to discuss new research on the Covid drug molnupiravir, suggesting it could be leading to new mutations of the virus passing between people.

We also hear from a listener who wants to know if eye exercises can stop our sight deteriorating as we get older, and from an ophthalmologist with the answer.

And how scientists have discovered specific wiring in the brains of mice that leads them to begin nesting when they’re getting ready to sleep. Claudia and Smitha look at what this could tell us about our own bedtime preparations.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Dan Welsh
Content editor: Erika Wright
Additional production: Dr Kristina Wanyonyi-Kay

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