Year: 2024 | Month: October-December | Volume: 9 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 418-423
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijshr.20240447
A Pilot Study for Health Promotion and Protection of Infants with Tongue-tie Related HIV: Healthy Mums and Babies Program
Gabriel Mpundu1, Lastone Chikoya2, Crecious Phirie3, Lukulula. E. Mwanza4, Eby Aluckal5,6, Jasleen Kaur6,7, Sandra Abraham6,8, Dhanya Raju6,9, Insiya Vattolil6,10, Farheen R. Meher6,11, Abe Abraham6,12
1Department of Oral Health Services and Public Health, Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
2Department of Neurosurgery & Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
3School of Public Health, Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia
4Department of Oral Health Services and Public Health, Ndola Teaching Hospital, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia
5Department of Public Health Dentistry, Mar Baselios Dental College, Kerala University of Health Sciences, Kerala, India
6Centre for Professional Education and Research, London, Ontario, Canada
7BJS Dental College, Ludhiana, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, Punjab, India
8Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
9Amrita School of Dentistry, Amrita Institute of Medical Science, Kerala University of Health Sciences, Kochi, India
10JSS Dental College & Hospital, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
11PMS Dental College of Dental Science and Research, Kerala University of Health Sciences, India
12School of Medicine and Clinical Sciences, Levy Mwanawasa Medical University Lusaka, Zambia.
Corresponding Author: Dr Eby Aluckal
ABSTRACT
Infants in rural and remote populations were presented with positive Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status when parents were healthy (HIV negative). This was a serious concern to clinicians as to how a newborn baby (within 12 months of birth) could be HIV positive when the parents were HIV negative. The infants had no history of any blood transfusion or surgery. With evolving pathogenesis, viral mutagenesis patterns and spreading mediums of viral diseases, this is a serious question to be addressed. Clinicians treating these infants suspect that this is a case of HIV viral mutagenesis. Assumptions about the cause of tongue ties (ankyloglossia) and its effect on families are prevalent in some rural sub-populations. These underlying myths could lead parent(s) to take their infants to surgical treatment (frenectomy) by unlicensed and untrained persons, sometimes referred to as “quack doctors”. The individuals who perform these frenectomies often use unsterilized surgical instruments that have been contaminated in use with HIV positive patients. As a result, there is a need to conduct a need analysis in rural populations to assess the infant HIV magnitude, including the prevalence and incidence rates of HIV in infants. This research project primarily focuses on finding and contrasting the proportion of HIV positive to HIV negative infants with tongue ties. This project also aims to evaluate the perception and knowledge of tongue ties by mothers or caregivers leading them to seek treatment with unlicensed persons, assessing the impacts of tongue ties on infant breastfeeding and speech. Moreover, to determine treatment needs required on infants with underlying oral health problems due to tongue tie.
Keywords: Tongue-tie, Infant HIV, Health Promotion, Needs Analysis, Ankyloglossia, Health Protection