A GRAVE CHALLENGE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 81, 6 April 1926, Page 10

A GRAVE CHALLENGE

THE DENTIST AND HIS WORK NATION MENACED THROUGH THE TEETH EALF, THE PEOPLE DIE TOO SOON. ' (By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") '' : 'dUNEDIN, This Day. A valuablo presidential address was given by Mr. A. Dickens, of Invercari gill,'at the opening of the Dental Conr feronce. "Dental disease," he said, •'with its focal and systemic infections, is the greatest curse of the civilised world. Evidence of systemic infection through pulp involvement is overwhelming. Every thinking dentist realises.the effect on the individual through infections of exposed pulp, and iif'he does his. duty to his patients,.to iKe" State, and to himself, he must teach and practise prevention. His slogan must be, 'Prevent pulp exposure and pulp involvement.' Both the dental and.medical.professions are unanimous,on. the subject of dental disease as being the greatest curse of the white races of ;the world." -Dr.' Weston A. Price, of Rochester, United, 1 States, ■ he said, had created quite a sensation by the publicati of hit two volumes entitled "Dental and Systemic Infections." Dr. Price's statements'are very convincing, and he states definitely that dental infection is factor in the production O- degenerative diseases. The dental world to-day needs rio further evidence of-'the awful condition of tho mouths ©fine-people than the dentist gathers' from his own contact in.pursuing his daily, work. Would a farmer, for instance, tolerate for one moment the dental condition of his stocit to be the same as that of'his children? Would a'childless woma . allow her pet dogs to become.infected with dental disease yjthout in some way . trying preventive measures?

A CURE WILL BE FOUKD. "In.process of time, when the nation awakes.to the ravages of infection indiiced by .- dental caries, a cure will be found. Cures, for instance, have been found for yellow fever, leprosy, malaria, etc, and the day must come when dental^ disease will be amongst the 'also •tarted.' . But until that time arrives, what are we, as dentists, as guardians of public health, going.to do? ''Every healthy individual - possesses • certain-resistance, but if his health is undermined by focal and systemic infection, .'that individual when attacked; by disease is bound to go under. ''FEARFUL LOSS OF EFFICIENCY." '■'■Ait fearful loss of efficiency to the individual and to the State is caused by malnutrition, the result of diseased teeth.; The loss is inconce: vable, and cannot be' estimated, but I should' say that 50 per cent, of people to-day die premature deaths as the result of this awful condition. The apathy of the profession and of the laity is astounding. Diseased teeth cause more harm to,the body of the individual than alcohol. - f Dental caries, is such a disturbing element in the health of the people that the dental profession will be failing in its ■ duty if it does .riot take steps to correct 'this menace, and so cause a diminul'on of. those diseases that are preventable; A- slow awakening to this deplorablo condition and its prevention is going on all over the world to-day. POISONING THE CHILDREN. "Me are- slowly poisoning our little children, 1 the foundation of our future generations, by supplying them with improper food, in an improper form, and in improper combinations. We are a nation of sweet and soft food eaters. Prevention is the keynote- of modern dentistry. Unle.s the dental profession arises to the task of realising and preventing the deplorable mouth conditions no-v existing, then the work will be"undertaken by the mothers. Too few dentists appreciate_ the importance of their own field. There is not one single, thing in; preventive medicine that equals mouth hygiene and the preservation of .the teeth.- Sir Arbut'not Lane, the famous English surgeon, Btates: that 50 per • cent, of cancer of the stomach is caused by malnutrition, the result of'decayed teeth. The most important supplementary foods are milk and: those vegetables whose leaves are palatable, as spinach,' cabbage, . kale, beet tops, brussels sprccts, and so forth. This is the only available typo of food which: contains sufficient amounts of 3iino for the proper building of the bones, and teeth. LAYING THE FOUNDATION. "It is also evident that many women, before the .birth of a baby, do not have. sufficient ■•: ampuhts ■of fresh. uncooked foods. No one, in fact, can long b<e well who eats only cooked, dried, preserved, ■ or; canned foods. Some fresh fruits arid vegetables, such as oranges, demons,- raw cabb£-_e, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, and raw berTies are necessary to good health. "It will be appreciated, from what has been said, that the time when the .most.can be done to determine the quality of the'teeth of j, man or woman of the next generation is' in infancyand childhood, wh a the teeth are being formed. The diet of the-ex-pectant'and nursing, mother should contain liberal amounts of protective foods ■o that there will be an abundance of the dietary essentials for the developing child. CHALLENGE TO THE PROFESSION. "There are 820 dentists on the register in New Zealand, and, I presume, in active practice. If they only undertake the care of fifty children, advocate mouth hygiene and oral prophylaxis, «nd give them the attention they are entitled to, you can guarantee that 40,000 of the children of New Zealand will reach adult life with complete ;/id ■pund sets of teeth. Dr. Edmond Kells would'not call the system I advocati preventive dentistry, but real dentistry. That may be so, but it'will.allow our boys and girls to arrive at manhood and womanhood with a sound set of teeth and without pulp involvement. ' "Torday less than onp person in every 10,000 is immune. from dental caries. This is a challenge to the dental profession. Prominent medical authorities have declared that the next move in.the fight against disease must come, from us. I have the greatest faith in the members of my profession, and I believe that the profession will rise to this grent opportunity just as goon as it has assimilated and understood the significance pf this challenged" ' , '