OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 229, 15 June 1918, Page 5

OUR BABIES

TBY HTGEU.I

Published under the auspices ot tho lioj-al New Zealand Society for tho Health of Women and Children. It Is wiser to put u>) a ience at the top of n precipice than to maintain nn ambulance at (ha bottom." SCHOOL DG.NTAL EDUCATjqX. I" giving a summary of the Umirdin an. m::il meeting, only a short reference wan inn-rlo to the care of the tori!;. Alter the meting Mr. Mihier. the principal speaker, raid that he would have- dealt, more at lonyth with the matter had time perraitt"'.t. bccaiiEc he wn! .so convinced of its paramount importance. f.muv then we have received the followi"E article written by Mr. Jliliisr tome .vrare RS o. We :u-e glr.d to be r.!:k> to proEdit the subject from the point of view "f an cminsut educationist, and v* trust that what Jlr. Milner fays will have a wide influence .in driving home to parents an.l teachers alike the importance of preserving the children's testh. The Duty of Teachers. Thp pressure of mrd'eni competitive civilisation malice us realise acutely the truth of 'Herbert Spencer's famous (iiotum -that the first requisite for mccess in life is !o be a. good animal. It is now widely recognised that liie teacher's province comprises the whole phyir.-l ui;icalKin of the child. Tho normal development and proper can: oi the. teeth are csfieiitial conditions of cfllvieiit school woifc. A merely negative attitude is an impossibility. It is a teacher's duly to giva sound, dear, physiological information, to assist in the cleanliness of the teeth and nimitli, and to cnrtirs this fcy securing , i proper denial inspection. Agitutiou and j public discussion must inevitably lead to I t.l!" jidmiiiis'.r.TtivL , authorities taking thin ' important matter up and putting it on a proper ban's. The Dangers Involved. There cannot ba normal development ami normal functioning of nesu and respiratory organs without normal development of the teeth, livery owniiiiatinn of pupils' teeth disebaes tafos of imperfect alignment, loss of maslioatury power, I canes, nasal deformity, etc. Fully CO jut I cent, of our children mif-.T from dental decay, and this grave detect U very freiincntly lU'gleotc'l, vj the impairment of the whole physical vitality. One may imagine what a frightful mass of putrcfac- : lion this high pcrccntiigc means in a i niiiglo lurgo school. Could ocular evidc::'jo of it be given, the eauig complacency of tho public would cet a rude shuck. It cannot be tou earnestly emphasiEed that dental iieray not n. normal condition. Clean tc-stli very telrioni (k'cny. A child with a defective tooth is no more normal than one afflicted with • pulmonary trouble. Tcacheri must accept so;!v; repponsibility, and dir.pel thin lamentable ignorance. Denial disease is the moot prevalent of all <iisc!ie:o. Fully SO per cent, of children at th? age of 12 show difsctiva masticatory power. Parental ignorance is responsible for much of this trouble. No nction-is taken by parents unti' the i'.?')iiy of toothache compels attention. The usual practice ia then to insist on an extraction irrespective of consequence?. Teachers must educate their charges to realise the wonders of modern conservative dentistry and the effect of curative treatment on their future health. Proper Nourishment. It is an arresting thought that within the tiny jaws of a little child lie buried half a hundred teeth. Their normal development should be an object of the highest uare. It is very important that a mother should nurse her own children at the. breast, for it !R during infancy that tho right nourishment is a determining factor. Jinny a. weakling develops into a strong man, but corresponding improvement ie never ecoii in the leeth. The crowns, when once built np, are iinishec for ever. A poor and stunted iinanuj means weak tteth for after life. Ai'tei the first year a child needs solid food. ,\ continuity of semi-liquid or pop food of ten induces a habit of "bolting," with t train of digestive trouble. On the othei hand, the provision of masticatory exer cife -on, say, a, bone helps the How o: blood to the jaws, aids their development and contributes to the secretion of pro per saliva. Hγ. Milner's article will bo concludec lawr.