CHILDREN'S TEETH

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue XXXXI, 12 June 1920, Page 5

CHILDREN'S TEETH

HOW TO CARE, FOR THEM.

(Article, published under the authority . , . of the Education Department.) Of all problem^ relating to public • health and efficiency, the prevention of the decay of .teeth is second to none in> importance. Its causes may be divided into two groups-^-those leading to poor*-' restructure, softness, and weak resistance " - to decay oh the part of the teeth themselves; and those which bring about conditions in the mouth that are injurious to teeth of even the most resistive - type. Both sets of causes are essenti- . " ally matters of nutrition and diet, and are mostly preventible. Causes of Decay.—lt is the object of ' ' this article to call attention, to some- r causes of the second group. Decay is ,' immediately due to the fermentation of starchy and sugary food in the crevices *-. of the teeth. This fermentation gives ■ rise to an acid, and* this acid dissolves i the lime of the enamel, and eventually ,* * eats through it, expossng .the softer./ " parts of the tooth to germs of decay." As long as the enamel is intact, decay is impossible. Has it been an oversight on the part of nature that this acid-forming fermentation should take - s -\ place, and destt-oy the enamel ? No I . A study of the function and composi- - tion cf the saliva shows that this i- . not so. i The Use of the Saliva.—Healthy Bar- /•_.£ jlivahas the power of digesting and dis-" *-:. ■ solving," and, therefore, of cleansing '•* from the teeth just that kind of food ' which undergoes acid fermentation. _ Such saliva is alkaline, amj therefore at once neutralises any acid that is formed (before the fe*rmwti«g food is washed away). These two properties of the saliva, if sufficiently powerful, should effectually prevent decay. Why, • . then, does decay occur? The reason is found to* a.great extent in the foods * ■ Effects of Different Foods on the Flow ~ of Saliva.—lt is found that _ certain - foods have-the effect of causing "an ,— abundant flow of strongly active saliva; -. 'strong in its digestive and cleansing * power, and strong in its antj-acid properties. Others have a reverse ene*~ -. • Apples and oranges and other acid fruits are the most powerful of the ' former class; the latter consists of most , r '- of the more modern, artifically refiri*^ * ' ) and manufaeture^l. £oods-fcjfF Sj which m „ - more ways than one ar6 uaflgrajyoing^ - , i&e physique and health of civilised pe*o-^ ~. 'pies. -'-'~_* ■ Evils of Artifical Foods.—_§uch foods , are an over-abundaflCg df sugar, especi- - ally in the form of sweets, chocolate being the most deleterious of these; bis- .., "cults and breads made from white flour; and other refined starchy foods. All - these foods, besides checking the flow "_■. of saliva, are pasty and readily stick to the teeth, and at* the same time are . "" easily fermentable, quickly giving rise to the destructive acid.. Such foods -1- - also are deficient in mineral salts, which are essential for the building of bones * . and teeth and in the' more vital ele- : ments of nutrition, known as vitainines, : which play such' an important part in^ * ' healthy growth. The Value of Fruit —To correct this checking of the protective action of the -• - % saliva, more acid fruit such as apples a: and oranges should be eaten at the L , close of. a meal. An apple, or piece ' of apple, eaten at the end of a meal, , * causes a copious flow of strongly * active saliva.' Emit, however, is to • I many—especially to those with large - 'families who most require it —a food of nrohibitive e^pen-^o } The Fruit-Acid Mouth Wash.—A -, fruit-acid mouth wash, an artificial , ( form of orange jmce, on the lines re-. . commended by ProWor Pickerill, has a similar .-effect in stimulating a cleansing flow of saliva. It is very cheap and children like it iiomon-sely. In oonnec- . tion with the medical inspection of •: school children, this mouth wash is be- c ing recommended. Fruit, it must not be forgotten, ha* other valuable p*o- ... perties'as a f<vd besides its cleansing ' effect in the mouth. i Tooth Brush "Drill in the Schools.— Tooth brush. drill, combined with the ■ use of this i« about to be instituted in all schools throughout the Do- ~ minion. It is obtainable in dry form, -, . *to be shaken up with water, from all : . chemists, and an explanatory leaflet . ! with directions ii put op with each pac- . ket It is .*u«ed separately, or m coni junction with the brushing of the teeth. 4 ■I Vital Importance of the Care of the . - Teeth —It is a fact that ! there is without exception no other , •factor which ditectly and '^^rectly - j causes so much disease and ill-health , 'as decay of tV troth. Fronvthe point : i of view of appearance and personal at■itractiveriess, of avoiding suffering and i deriving greater pleasure from We as -. I well as for the most urgent reasons ~ ''of health,, a* healthy mouth is, without _ , '! exception, tbe- most valuable asset a..-_i j person enn ever possess. Parents can assist greatly to this- , ? ' very desirable end by seeing that full , 'effect is given to the above suggestions_