CHILDREN'S TEETH.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14513, 20 December 1912, Page 3

CHILDREN'S TEETH.

\ BAD STATE OF THINGS IN AUCKLAND. (press association telegram.) AUCKLAND, December 18. The state of the teeth of the children in some of the Auckland schools is described in a report submitted iq the Education Board by the Dentists' Committee. The report states: — "The examination conducted by the Auckland Dental Association and Hospital Board of the children attending soveral of the city schools has just been concluded. The total number ft children whose mouths were examined was 1857, ranging from five to niteen jears of age. Theso had '639 decayed permanent teeth, as follows: 3858 which needed simple fillings to restore them to a healthy and natural condition, 19G5 which needed complex fillings and treatment of dental pulp and root canals, and 1816 which were hopelessly decayed, though possibly some of these could be saved, but in the meantime they were a real source of danger to the health of the children. Between the ages of seven to thirteen years, only 80 children, or 4£ per cent., had no decay in their permanent t«eth. As an indication of the rapid progress of decay when unchecked, it was noted that between the ages of seven to ten years there were 62 children with no decay in their permanent teeth, while between the ages of ten to thirteen years there were only 18 children with sound teeth. A very regrettable feature of the examinations," continues the report, "was an almost total lack of effort on the part of the parents to have their children's teeth preserved, as only 50 of the 1857 children examined had any fillings done in their mouths at all. Most of the children had never been taught to use a tooth-brush, and their mouths were in most cases in a shockingly unhealthy condition. In cases where a brush had. boon used systematically, the percentage of decayed teeth was considerably less. As a result of the examinations so far, over 100 children hare presented themselves for treatment at the Dental Hospital."