DIET AND DENTAL DISEASES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 31 October 1921, Page 5

DIET AND DENTAL DISEASES

LECTURE BY MR T. A. HUNTER

Mr T. A. Hunter, Director of Dental Hygiene, gave some most valuable information in the eour.se of an. interesting lecture at the School, of Music on Saturday evening on Diet and Dental Hygiene. There was a good attendance, a large, proportion comprising children 'and the pnuils of the Colleges, _ Dr S. A. Gibbs, ‘‘'president of the Nelson Brandi of the British Medical Association, was in the chair, and seats on the platform were also occupied by Mestlames Buchanan (president of the Blanket Society), C. Y. Fell (Town Schools Committee), Air E. E. Boyes (Chairman Town Selidoli: Committee), Dr Keith (Education Board Medical Officer). Hon. W. W. Snodgrass, M.L.C., and Messrs W. M'. Squires (president of the local branch, of the Dental Association), F. G. Gibbs (headmaster Boys’ Central School), F. V. Knapp (headmaster Girls’ School). | ’ In introducing the lecturer, the chairman said that during the war period Air Hunter occupied the responsible and honourable position of director to the dental services. When the war ended the Government, owing to the appalling condition of the teeth ot the, children, ’inaugurated a Department in the hope of establishing a race ’ which would have a decent chance $ , having good teeth, and to tins end Mr I Hunter was appointed to bis present 'position, and no better appointment , could have been made. He was an expert on the subject. The chairman concluded by saying he would ask Mr Hunter to enlighten our darkness on these matters that wWe so important to ■the health of the community, j Air Hunter, who was listened to attentively throughout, was heartily applauded at. the conclusion of his re.marks. , In the course of some further remar.es by the chairman, it was stated that 80 per cent, of our troubles were due to faulty diet. Ho advocated the. use ot whole meal, and strongly condemned white flour, which he said was ,useless a lid harmful. , On the motion of Mr Boyes, seconded by Airs Fell, Mr Hunter was heartily thanked for his lecture. - , In acknowledging the vote of thanks. Mr Hunter thanked the Educational authorities and the head teachers of the schools for the assistance, given Mr Parker (school dentist) in his work. He also publicly thanked the proprietors and editor of The Evening Mail for the help given him all through' since lie had taken up the position he now occupied.

I THE LECTURE The lecture is of sufficient importance ‘‘to publish in full. Space will not_ per--1 mil. it to be given in full m this issue, but the first portion is appended, and: ‘will be continued in to-morrow s issue. I Ono cannot but- be. struck with the 'maimer in which within the last 5 or 10 Years writers of the modern novel 'jortmv tlie heroine *s being jossessed of a beautiful and even set of teeth ! aml I lie boro as Waving a strong ru m : iaw and good teeth. Such references l ire not new, for did not Sterne s hero, .Tristram Shandy, go into ecstasies over, ‘ Sucli a pearly row of teeth that sever-. 1 eighty would have pawned her jewels for hlSi” and still further back in the I hcarv past the writer of the Song of Suiigs £» of hi* beloved , “Thy teeth are Jik“ 'a flock of sheep that are even 'shorn which comes up from the washing.'’ Dental matters have of necessity t engaged the universal attention of Mv manity since bipeds «W cut -. fcjr teeth m the Garden of Eden or else .where; and of a certainty teeth m ever excite our admiration if good, and bring us into trouble if bad’ of defer* live? Per contra, very bad teeth and oral unclean! mess have always been j - tensive, not only to persons immediately concerned, but also to all beholder.. I)id not Goriolanus send a iriessa.go- jj he deputation of . citfens ( ttot woug ait on him bidding them “Wash, to aces and keep their teeth clean. In fact from childhood to the Hme wjmn “grinders cease because they are lew oS teeth can never be forgotten, and 'yet with what little do L treat them in this enlightened ageMv subject to-night is Prevention rf Dental Decay. I will endeavour to avoid' statistics and technicalities as far .as possible. However, I consider it necessary before intenng into the subI Stier to ray something about I ient-il disease. There is no doubt that IS disease in far more prevent jr iSTaidf o( »U “ lher countries. It is without -exception -the most prevaj lent of all diseases. Taking a genial view of the situation we find that only within the last century that it has Smed its present alarming, lions so that broadly speaking it is a modeVn disease. As Director of Dfentel Services to the New Zealand horces | during the war, I an in a position to Vive you some idea of the prevalence of this disease among our troops, amt ■hero X would , ask you to remember that these were the pick of our young itnanhopd.’ selected for their fitI ness. ' In the early days of the war U. is estimated that, acting under British Army regulations, fair medical service .found it necessary to reject oiteaccounfc of dental defects® 1-3 per cent, of I those presenting then selves {or examination hut who otherwise were Pp^ca Uy I fit ’This might have continued had At loot been for the offer made by the members of the New Zealand Dental [Association to ’treat recruits otherwise [medically fit, prior to entering camps, • L-ind the formation of the New Zealand iDental Corps to treat the men in camps. 1 and abroad. Examinations showed That the teeth of the men of the Ist Division were in a truly deplorable condition In one instance where 150 mip vato carefully examined, it was shown that in each man on the average 16 teeth had been, or were diseased. The teeth of the men of the 2nd Division were in a slightly better condition, but even here, of 14,747 men examined m camp, it was shown that each man on the average had 6.'defective teeth, and that 37 men iin every 100. required artificial dentures. Recently 251 Cadet?) undergoing training in Trentham Gamp were examined by the Dental Officer, and the result of'this examination disclosed the fact that- there were only 15 hoys who'did not. require dental attention, the rejpnindcf presenting an average of approximately 12 defective teeth each, taking into 'consideration ' the number of teeth already missing as the result of previous extractions, it flight safely he stated that one half of thp teeth in each mouth were cither defecliv or missing. Further examinations have since taken place and there .is. a wonderful similarity about the figures of each succeeding draft which points to fho fact that all are uniformly bad. As I these boys represented the. youth of the Dominion educated at secondary schools iind were therefore among those probably better eared for than any other rlnss of hoys in New Zealand, the treatment which presented on examinai inn is a severe commentary upon the* ■extraordinary defective dental condition

of t-ho pick of the country's future manhood. In comparing the dental condition of these, la da with that ot the Second Division men of the N.Z.K.P. it' in interesting to note that, each cadet' has on an average- 6.5 more defective teeth than the soldier of the New Zealand Army. Emphasis is undoubtedly given, therefore, by the figures, j"st quoted, to the contention, that, unless preventive measures art; adopted the incidence to caries rtf the teetji lends to increase in each succeeding generation. The Slate Service for the examination and treatment of school children -is yet in its infancy, hut, the figures m hand indicate that’9o per cent, require treat-

meat. , _ You-will notice 1 have been 'pnlmuu, rnv remarks to conditions which e\ts. in New Zealand, but the same alarming conditions are exercising the m ll *' * 1 dm best thinkers in the medical ..m. dental profusions as wet! aa sta.emom in all menus, s where eivilivution h.c. brought about this impasse. I v«[ to kiv that denial disease, bo.h ion the individual and public sti.r.clpom . * undoubtedly one of the most urgmt all heal Mi problems.

the dangers or dental DISEASE

It, is now living fully realised that tho teeth pinv a very important pait u commences m the-mout.i _and s- • nari of the process wo nave uiub ' ' im voluntary control. It is depemlen ■ on thorough mastication lords s«a.ts,.._ < without, a sound set oi teeth thu uossihle, for even one tender tooth ■ throw out of action the whole oias|‘caiorv apparatus, It must be special,., noted this loss of masticatory innvcr often out of all proportion o the number of diseased teeth. J {jj badlv decayed molars, one on eitliu SS?wfi render the whole masticatory apparatus ineffective,, producing a Jbol.ing the food, thereby ovetUx the other digestive organs ami Ijom • fi;?: sf..! arsw Zmmm J, 4.11,1.™, rtf «•»* briefly. .nalnnlrilior, an.l ™‘, k development oi tnc body. | ‘ .1; effects on the system ot sw allow m,,n ~, or inflamed gums, and tin. poi.om S»S'oin,M'o! XurnSm, “i'Ss.i i.'ing .I'." y ST from decaying (Ml, «i'<l »D> conditions nl the .ufliclmt gene,a ula dj “ gjP , “)iA„Sv'NN ! wI,;,; d,-iV„c... «■« SSI, 1 1. rl from decaying teeth d 1 '"";-' ; ' ( k throat and to the glands ot Hi ■ N Manv cases of tuberculosis oi tin so da ml 3 aro caused by bacteria gaming an imtrancv to ihe blood supply throng i dead and nhscc.ssed teeth. Morcovei, it R evident that- if tlie Immg memoraue of the throat were kept m a hoalihj ptn-te and free, from the chronic inflammation duo to dental mtectnm. the resistive power of the individual to scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, etc. would be more marked, and many such diseases would become much less frequent than at present.- An unhealthy. septic mouth_ forms an ideal culture ground in which germs oi ah sorts may flourish and multiply, find many cases of infectious disease are thereby transmitted from one person to another. In addition to decay of the there are other conditions of the f,wth and gums which contribute to the general infection of the system such as alveolar abscess or gum-boil, and gingiwTTs or inflammation of the gums which roaUy is u mild form of scurvy. This latter may be followed by the more perious disease known as pyorrhoea, which attacks the bony sockets oi the (eelb and, if allowed to • progress, re cults in the loss of (lie teeth, and is extremely dangerous to the health of (lie individual. Alveolar abscess is n condition caused by (or resulting from) the advance ol decay to the pulp foi neicC; which first becomes inflamed, then dies, ihe resulting decomposition gising rise in infection and formation of pus or matter at Mm end of the root. Ibis pus or matter besides being continually swallowed may be, absorbed directly into the blood-stream through the lymphatics and thence to arty of ihc vital organs of the hody. _ , I have here shown'some oi the actual dangers of denial disease. The pam, suffering and consequent lav on tlie, extern by such, are so well known t.linl. they need only ho mentioned. ' (To be continued.)