DENTAL HYGIENE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11302, 30 August 1922, Page 9

DENTAL HYGIENE

LECTURE) AT RED CROSS ROOMS'. Tho fortnightly lecture at the Red Cross rooms, Dixon street, was given last night by Mr R. Dunn, Supervisor of the Dental Clinic in Wellington. The subject of Air Dunn's lecture was ‘ Den* tal Hygiene," but at the start he said he was going to speak about unemployment, for the really serious thing about unemployment was in his opinion the general deterioration that accompanies want of work, until we find soon that many of the unemployed are unemployable. This deterioration will be found among the unemployed rich as well as the unemployed poor, for just as far as man Ifaiis to "earn his bread by the sweat of his brow" does physical, moral, and social degradation result. This is true, said the lecturer, not only of men, but of each organ of the body; if it is not properly used it will waste away. One of the earliest evolutionists, Lamark. wrote of this in 1806. While this is true of every f>art of the body, it is especially 60 of those organs which are concerned with nutrition and digestion, and the whole question of dental hygiene is cue of the regular employment of the teotli From the day they are first cut to old age. The same Is true of muscular organs like the stomach, ana elands, such as the liver, and salivary glands. With regard to the teeth the speaker said that modern diet does not call to any great extent for their employment, and. con* sequently they are being weakened and are deteriorating, The lecturer went on to speak of tli« development of the teeth from the titnc before birth. They start to form about months before birth, ’he said. During these months the whole of the crowns

of the first set of teeth are formed, ns well as the enamelled tips of certain oi the permanent teeth. It is said that 98 per cent, of babies are born healthy and with potentially good teeth, and the speaker said his own observations confirmed this estimate. Malnutrition on the part of the mother may affect them, and the importance of the pro-natal period of a child's life cannot be too strongly emphasised. Mr Dunn quoted several cases from, the Dental Clinic, iu .Whitmore street, where inquiries are always made as to the oare and feeding oi the child, and pre-natal care, which showed that the health of the mother was essential to the proper growth or the child's teeth. During the first six months after birth the teeth continue to develop in the child's jaw, and the roots are formed. If a child is naturally fed it can still get all it wants for this work from its mother's milk, while also it has to work for its food by exercising the muscles of the mouth, tongue, and jaws, which, helps to develop the hones supporting these muscles and bring an ample blood supply to these parts. If sufficient work is not given at this time there will be a /aok of development of these parts. Another important advantage of human milk is the presence of anti-toxins. It has been shown by Ehrlich that when a female animal has been immunised against any toxin, and has produced in consequence anti-toxin in the blood, the anti-toxin will, if it has young, pass .into the milk. Its mother's milk will therefore not only nourish the infant, but will provide. it with certain means of passive immunity against possible infection by diseases to which it may be liable. .The speaker Was of opinion that no artificial method of giving food satisfied the demand for work. . . . A baby is meant to work for its living from the very first, and the oral and nasal structures all suffer if this labour is withheld. Soon after birth the crowns of \he permanent teeth and first permanent molars are well begun, ana these require an ample blood supply, which can only be provided by work. Similarly as soon as the first teeth appear they require work, 6aid the lecturer, and it is this instinct that makes a child of this age put everything in its mouth. It should be siven something to bite. When the weaning process is too long delayed, the teeth have nothing to do and suffer in consequence. The most important time for the teeth is from six months to two And a half years, as habits established then will decide if the teeth are to become workers, or join the unemployed. Unfortunately 95 per cent, of children’s teeth are not sufficiently employed. Failure to give the teeth work at this time will have its evil effects on the body later. A child does not want concentrated but plenty of coarse food, from which it can extract the nourishment with the ap- , paratus provided by nature. [ The nerves in the teeth come from the great fifth nerve, which is in commuui--1 cation with the pneumogastric nerve, and thus the work of the teeth is connepted with the whole digestive system. 1 Mr Dunn showed a specimen of the development of the ridge of hone that crows round the teeth and supports ‘ them. It is important that this bone 1 should be strong and well-formed, and \ only vigorous mastication will develop it properly The lecturer went on to speak of

pyorrhoea, which he said caused by the too early absorption of this bonv support of the teeth, possible because it has been inadequatelv nourished and defectively built in childhood. If from disuse there is no call on its services and no adequate blood supply the structure begins to fail, and the teeth loosen. The speaker stressed the danger of losing the teeth early when this bony ridge quickly disappears and the mouth becomes sunken. All this points to the necessity of forming habits of vigorous mastication In the young. He referred to the amount of soft-food eaten requiring no mastication, and said it was deplorable to think of the large number of young»adults who had false teeth, saying the damage to the system bu the bad habits causing the loss of the teeth can nev4r he undone. Repairing the teeth by filling is tampering with the signals of danger, extracting them is destroying the distress signals altogether. It is generally accepted nowadays, that most of the diseases and disabilities of modern life are diet diseases. What is needed, said Mr Dunn, is not frea denial treatment so much as education in these matters, though treatment is necessary to patch up past mistakes. Unless we improve on errors of the past, then all dental and medical services cannot catch up with disease, and other races more prolific and more vigorous will sweep over our civilisation and wipe it out. Dental disease in 95 per cent, of out children is a danger signal that must not bo ignored. It is a good sign that many mothers nre anxious to find out what to do for thoir children.

Tho lecturer appealed to all present to hole to increase that section of the community who wished to repair the errors of the past. Only by education and example can the condition of the children’s teeth ?n this country be improved. Mr Dunn spoke of the Dental Training School, where 30 nurses were in training, who will later bra distributed throughout the country. Since last February about 3500 childrep have received treatment. There are 6ign9 that the parents ore really desirous of finding out the truth about these things, and many are surprised to learn that prevention is possible. An important nnrt of the nurses’ work is to try and influence the mothers In the direction of reform where it is necessary. Those nurse© who desire and have a special gift for this work are allowed to address meetings of mothers, and sometimes the senior classes in girls' schools. The lecturer concluded by appealing again to all present to use their influence in furtherance of the aims of the Dental Clinic. At the conclusion of the lecture questions were asked, and a hearty vote of thanks to Hr Dunn for his interesting address was carried bv acclamation.