SCHOOL CHILDREN'S TEETH

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12849, 6 July 1907, Page 11

SCHOOL CHILDREN'S TEETH

THE REPORT OP EXPERTS. (rBEM AMOOIATIOH TSLMSAM.) DUNEDIN, July 5. Since the inauguration of the OUfj» Odontological Society it* member* have endeavnurod to educate the *jMer*l public to realise how important month* cleanliness is to general health. Thie * society received permission from CSo Eduoation Department to examine *he mouths of 1260 school children attending the public eohool*. The lions,.proved the mouth* to be |*\.ja most deplorable condition. Hardbj » mouth examined wu froe from ihpii ed teeth and inflammation of the gUM. Out of 1250 mouths 380 presented ir> regularities of teeth, came siMflt, otbens of * marked character. These irregularities are <tae M * great number of cases to premature c*> traction of the deciduous or milk teeth. Whenever a milk tooth is removed before the time allotted! to it by Nature for its natural loan, it ■tends to re—on that the underlying permanent tooth is, retarded in Hβ eruption by the formation of a very denee tissue, which hat to be punctured by the erupting permanent tooth, which result* in a deviation of that tooth from ite oorreot position. It must be a general rule for colonial children to have teeth extracted wheji' decay has set in. and pain results, for out of 1250 children 702 had one or more teeth miming. Ninety per oent. of these teeth could end should new been saved. Taking twenty-four as the average number of teeth in each childV mouth, one would have in all 30,000 teeth, til of which were carefully examined, and in that number the examiners came across only 480 fillings, proving that parents do not desire to have their ■ children's tooth saved by conservation work. These figures do not eiejiify. that the teeth were in such a good condition that fillings were not requirefl. Such was not the case. The examiners came across 6178 teeth decayed, all of which coirtd We been filled if attend' ed to in the early stages of decay. The dentist* examining these cbiWmn endeavoured to find out the perotntefe of those whe used tooth brushes, but. the answers could not be relied upon.- , for the mouths of come who professed. to use the brush were in a most shook' ' ing state. Somo 501 children willingly lulmittod never having used.a tooth brush, and the examiners think that thnt number can be almost doubled' One youth whose mouth was m * terrible state of filth, when asked ir be mod a tooth brush, said "Yes/ sad in reply to a query oa to how often, anewered "Every Saturday after I Bare swept the back yard." "Whether the eamo brush was need for both purposes was never fftooovered. A jXreWy little girl, one of a farce family, had not cleaned her teeth lately, a* her sister had lost the only tooth brush they had in the bouse. Out of 1250 children. twenty-five had mouths free free decay.