TOOTH AND LIP MUTILATION PRACTICES AND ASSOCIATED TOOTH LOSS AND ORAL MUCOSAL LESIONS IN THE MAKONDE PEOPLE OF SOUTHEAST TANZANIA

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of tooth and lip mutilation (TLM) and the prevalence of
tooth loss and the associated oral mucosal lesions among adults in South East Tanzania.
Design: A cross sectional, clinical study and questionnaire administration.
Setting: Rural population in Southeast Tanzania.
Subjects: Randomly selected 217 adults aged 40 years and older.
Results: About 16% of all participants performed tooth mutilation. There were more females
(20.6%) than males (11.3%) who performed tooth mutilation but the difference was not statistically
signifi cant. There was only about 17% of participants in the age group 40-54 years who performed
tooth mutilation while there was 50% and 32% in the age groups 55-64 years and 65-95 years and
the difference was statistically signifi cant (P <0.001). Tooth loss due to mutilation was signifi cantly
(P<0.001) less than tooth loss due to other reasons in the anterior teeth and there was no tooth
loss due to mutilation in the posterior teeth. Lip mutilation in form of piercing the upper lip and
inserting a wooden stick called “ndonya” was found only in women. No oral mucosal lesions were
found in this study group.
Conclusion: Tooth mutilation does not lead to signifi cant tooth loss and lip mutilation and the use
of “ndonya” does not cause oral mucosal lesions in this society. Extraction of anterior teeth due to
other reasons was signifi cantly higher than extraction following mutilation while in the posterior
teeth there was no tooth loss due to tooth mutilation.