HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 37, 14 October 1946, Page 4

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

FEED YOUR TEETH ( By the Department of Health) >• One of our national shortcomings . is dental decay. The whole story, of the why and wherefore of dental caries is not known. But it is by no means, a closed book. Certain pages are open. Keep your teeth clean and they will last better.. Keep your teeth well fed and they will decay less. These are known facts, but we are not applying them as a nation. There is undoubtedly something in this business of feeding teeth. Large scale dental surveys of five year old children in London Schools in 1929 and 1943 showed much improvement both in the structure of the deciduous teeth, and in their resistance to decay. In 1929 only 8 per cent, of the children had teeth of perfect structure; tjiis had risen to j 19 per cent, in 1943. In 1929 only five children in each hundred were free of dental decay, but 2 in every hundred showed no caries in 1943. These improvements are credited to changed feeding habits forced on the people by the war, and to the cheap milk scheme begun in 1934. War-time brought increased allowances of milk, cod liver oil and fruit juices to expectant and. nursing mothers, to babies and young child- . ren. Teeth feeding of course begins » before birth, and must continue afterwards, if good baby and second teeth are wanted. Other things that helped were the addition of vitamins A and D to margarine and the reinforcing of bread with calcium or lime. /

In animal feeding experiments these dietary factors, have been, proved to influence teeth. Wherever these factors have been ample in the diet, babies’ and children’s teeth have been undoubtedly better than, when these things are under-sup-plied, Lime, phosphorus and vitamin D in adequate amounts are ne- . cesary for hard decay resistant \ teeth. The expectant and nursing mother and the growing child will get enough of these things only if the diet is balanced in milk, cheese, eggs, whole cereals, vegetables and ; fish or meat, and if in addition to the butter ration, fish liver oils are taken daily and as much sunshine alowed on the skin as may be practicable. ‘