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Claim: A TikToker, Ajoke (@harjohkeh001), claimed that teething killed her baby.
Verdict: False. Paediatricians say that teething is a natural process and does not lead to death in children. Medical peer-reviewed studies also confirm that teething does not cause death in children. However, the symptoms of teething can lead to death if not well managed.
Full Text
The teeth are part of a human’s digestive system, which helps break down food by crushing or cutting it before swallowing. Teething occurs when a baby’s teeth start to emerge through the gum line. This developmental milestone is typically observed from around five months onward.
On May 17, 2025, a TikToker, Ajoke (@harjohkeh001), claimed that she lost her baby as a result of teething. She posted a video where she was first dancing with the child, and some seconds into the video, she was carrying the child on her lap with an intravenous (IV) injection affixed to his hand.
Written on the video is a text that reads, “if anybody finds me, come, tell them say I lost my Mudashir to teething.”
As of June 2, 2025, the video had been shared 985 times with 2,550 comments.
TikTok users who commented on the post sympathised with her over her loss and shared the belief that teething kills patients.
Scrolling through social media, DUBAWA observed tons of posts and debates on the link between teething and infant death.
On Facebook, a User, Priscilla Nwogu Onyi, wrote, “How can a child die because of teething? Are you sure it’s sepsis, it kills children a lot. Mothers should beware of sepsis. Oh, it’s well. May his soul rest in peace”.
One of the users on TikTok is @Khadija. In 2013, she shared that she had the same experience nine years ago with her son. She wrote, “This was my story 9 years ago. My baby boy started teething too early at four months, and that led to his death. Sorry, mummy, that I am strong.”
Another TikTokker, @Daddygold01, said he lost his daughter the same way, “Same as me, my first daughter died of teething issues. Sorry, dear, take heart.”
One user, however, questioned if it was medically diagnosed that teething killed the child. She wrote, “Sorry for your loss, but did the doctor say it was teething? Sorry for the question, though, but I want to know.”
In the interest of public health, as many nursing mothers rely on the experiences of others to care for their children, DUBAWA decided to investigate whether teething can cause death in children.
Verification
When a child starts teething, the symptoms typically begin some days before the teeth erupt. Babies’ teeth erupt many times during their first five years of life.
According to this article by WebMD, teething symptoms vary from baby to baby. Some of the listed symptoms include swollen, tender gums, fussiness and crying, slightly raised temperature (less than 100.4 F), gnawing or wanting to chew on hard things, lots of drool, which can cause a rash on the face, coughing, rubbing their cheek or pulling their ear, bringing their hands to their mouth, and changes in eating or sleeping patterns.
In another article by MedicineNet, teething may cause crankiness or gum irritation but is not responsible for high fever, diarrhoea, cough, or body rashes. They emphasised that while some studies mention a slight rise in body temperature, sometimes referred to as “teething fever,” this does not constitute an actual fever.
Paediatricians explained to DUBAWA that although teething can cause discomfort and a slight increase in temperature, it does not directly cause fever or death.
Amina Abubakar, Principal Medical Officer at the Jummai Babangida Maternal and Child Hospital in Minna, Nigeria’s Niger state capital, said,
“Some children might come down with pain and discomfort, and that pain sometimes can increase in body temperature. However, if these symptoms the child is experiencing are not managed appropriately, they can deteriorate. When that happens, and the child does not get medical help, death can occur. But we cannot say it is teething that is the cause of the death.”
The Consultant Paediatrician at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Frances Okpokowuruk, agreed with Amina, stating that teething is a natural process and the temperature rise experienced by the child during teething is due to the mild inflammation in the gum.
“The child can become irritable, crying more than usual, the gum itches, and they salivate. These are all natural things that are going on,” Frances said.
She added that the behaviour during the teething period also puts the child at risk of infection, which many confuse with teething.
“Because of the itching of the gum and discomfort they feel, they are putting a lot of things in their mouth, and usually, this teething coincides with the time when most babies are crawling, and there is a probability of them picking things to put in their mouth. Many times, the environment is not very clean, which can lead to infections.
“If the environment is not clean, the baby picks up a lot of germs and begins to stool or get bacterial infections, and people will start saying it is caused by teething; no it is not teething per se, but it is the things that are involved that are making the baby to stool.”
Conclusion
Teething does not cause death in children. Paediatricians and medical peer-reviewed studies note that teething is a natural process and does not lead to death in children. However, the symptoms of teething can lead to death if not well managed.
