THE DENTAL CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 138, 10 June 1905, Page 4

THE DENTAL CONFERENCE.

CARE OF CHILDREN'S TEETH. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. At this afternoon's sitting of the Dental Conference. Mr F. W. Thompson read a paper on children's teeth, being a plea for the better care and preservation. In his paper he pointed to the consequences of parental negiect and ignorance of principles of hygiene, some of the consequences of which he enumerated. At Christchurch recently he had examined the teeth of 106 children attending a primary school, and of these only one child had all sound teeth. By immediate attention the teeth of about 40 per cent, of these children might be saved, but the teeth of the rest were too far gone to admit of really satisfactory treatment of a conservative character. He recommended that the systematic examination of teeth of children by competent dentists employed by school authorities should be practised where possible to prevent caries, and to remedy defects of teeth. During the discussion which followed the reading of the paper several opinions -were expressed as to the causes which have led to the spread of dental caries among children. Meat eating, use of white bread, the artificial feeding of babies, want of care and cleanliness—all these ■were blamed. It ■was resolved that a deputation wait on the Minister for Education to urge upon him the necessity for carrying out the recommendation that Mr Thompson had made.