Infant oral mutilation in East Africa: eradication within ten years.

Infant oral mutilation (IOM) is a widespread and dangerous traditional practice affecting 25 million children in East Africa. It involves the extraction of unerupted deciduous canine teeth in young infants owing to the corresponding swellings being mistaken as the cause of diarrhoea and fever. The rudimentary practice, undertaken by local healers, can sometimes be fatal. In 2018, a Call to Action was signed by a group of significant East African influencers and policy makers, urging for a strategy for IOM eradication within ten years.