VALUE OF DENTISTRY IN INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 145, 15 March 1939, Page 5

VALUE OF DENTISTRY IN INDUSTRY

American Experience

Dr. Thaddeus P. Hyatt, head of a big dental clinic established in New York by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, gave an address to members of the Wellington Rotary Club yesterday on the benefits of dentistry in industry. By tracing the deutal nerve system, Dr. Hyatt explained how it was possible for an ache to develop away from the source of the trouble. This was reflex nerve irritation, for which there was no accounting. The pain might jump anywhere, and if to the head might, cause emotional disturbances difficult to diagnose. Dental neglect, ou the whole, caused •10 per cent, of retardation among people. That was dimly realized by the Metropolitan Company, which decided to set up a dental clinic, and invite its employees to take advantage of it. No fewer than 2000 submitted themselves to a.dental cleaning every six months. That took four chairs. Without the speaker’s knowledge the statistical department kept a tab on the clinic, and at the end of three years it recorded that there was a definite improvement in efficiency and the general health of Hie staff. Such was the effect that 13,000 employees came into line, calling for 11 chairs, and just before lie left New York last November 25 chairs bad been provided to attend to between 15,000 and 16,000 employees Furthermore, the head of lite disability branch. Dr. Hyatt said, supplied him with the names of 40 employees who bad made most claims on the disability funds because of absence and ill health. He took them individually, examined their mouths, prescribed the right treatment, and within live years not one of those forty was making any demand on the disability funds. He did not claim that dental treatment was the panacea for ail ills, but bad teeth were responsible for much illness which could be cured by proper treatment. Dr. Hyatt said the Metropolitan had not. instituted the clinic in any spirit of phil.-itil bropy; but. because it. was one means of gaining greater efficiency.