The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, ABRIL 6, 1908. TEETH EXAMINATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2158, 6 April 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, ABRIL 6, 1908. TEETH EXAMINATION.

Tho formal opening of a Denial School in Dunedin on Saturday by tho Minister of Education serves as a reminder that tho urgent matter of tho care of children’s teeth lias not yet been taken up in earnest by tho Department of which Mr. Georgo Fowlds is tho head. Most peoplo

h a vo a hazy sort of notion that children’s teeth nowadays aro rather worse than those of earlier generations, but lew realiso to what a serious extent this degeneration has taken place. A socioty was formed in Dunedin somo timo ago with tho rather formidable title, “Tho Otago Odontological Society,” and with the avowed object of educating tho. general public in tho important bearing mouth cleanliness has on general health. This Society received permission from tho Education Department to examino tho mouths of 1250 school-children attending the public schools. The examination proved tlie mouths xo bo in a most deplorable condition, llaidly a mouth examined was free from abscessed teeth and inflammation of the gums. Out of 1250 mouths, 380 presented irregularities of. teeth, some simple, others of marked character. These irregularities are duo in a groat number of cases to cases to premature extraction of deciduous or milkteeth. It appears to bo a general rule for colonial children to havo their teeth extracted when decay has set in and pain results, for out of 1200 children, no fewer than 702 had ono oi moro teeth missing. Ninety per cent of tlieso teeth could, and should, have been saved. Taking twenty-four as tho average number of teeth in each child’s mouth, ono would have in all 30,000 teeth, all of which were carefully examined, and in that nuiubei tho examiners only .came across 480 fillings, proving that parents do not desire to havo their children’s teeth saved hv conservation work. The abovo figures do not signify that the teeth were ill such good condition that fillings wero not required. Such, indeed. was not the case. The examiners came across Gl7B teeth decayed, ail of which could have , been filled .if

attended to in tlio early stages of decay. Tlio dentists examining these children endeavored to find out the percentage of tlioso who used toothbrushes', but tlio answers could not be relied upon, for the moulds of some who professed to use tho brush wcie in a most shocking state. Somo 504

children willingly admitted never liav-

in«r used a tootli-brusli, and tho examiners tlihi'k that number could be almost doubled. There is no reason to anticipate that examinations in other centres would prove any more satisfactory than those held in Dunedin; in fact, wherever iuvestiga* tious have been mado similar results have been disclosed. There is no question but that tho proper caro oi the teeth is a matter for urgent attention. Most of tho ills that modern flesh is heir to appear to have tlioir basis in the stomach, and in this respect the part played by tho teeth must necessarily bo an important ono. For this reason one of the primary lessons taught to every child at school should bo the necessity for absolute cleanliness in regard to tcctli, and some system should bo devised by which there should be a periodical examination of the teeth of tho children by a qualified dentist. If this were- done, and a short note sent to parents indicating any faults and the suggested remedy, an invaluable service would be rendered to the coming generation.