CARE OF THE TEETH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 12 March 1928, Page 8

CARE OF THE TEETH.

EFFECT OK DIET. LESSONS FltOM THE MAORIS. Tiie perfection and beauty of the teeth of the- Maoris when living in their natural conditions has always been a source ol' admiration and of interest to observers, and many attempts have been made to discover their secret. Twenty years ago Dr. Pickerill, the Dean of the Otago School of Dentistry, devoted some months to careful investigation of the problem, and embodied his observations in a standard work which Avon the Cartwright Essay prize. With a view to comparing Dr. Pickerill’s results Avith conditions existing to-day, a Avell-knoAvn Auckland dentist spent part of his holiday last month visiting the most inaccessible native settlements in the UreAvera Country. The extraordinary deterioration Avhich he' found in the teeth' of the Maori children there affords strong confirmation of the view that highly refined foods of modern civilisation are most injurious. When Dr. Pickerill made liis investigations lie noted among the Maori children of the U rower a Country _99 per cent of freedom from dental caries. The Auckland dentist Avhen visiting Kua’s settlement at . Maungapohutu examined many children sent out to him at random from the school, and he found that approximately 75 percent of them Avere suffering from dental caries. In one hoy of 14 years of age he found pyorrhea. When Dr. Pickerill made Iris observations the UreAvera Maoris Avere living almost solely on fruit, roots, and berries: The children whom the Auckland' dentist examined are making much use of refilled sugar, white flour, tinned meats, and tinned fruits, and it ;!» to this diet that lie attributes the. striking change, in the condition of their teeth.