SUGAR AND DENIAL DISEASES.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 13 August 1920, Page 4

SUGAR AND DENIAL DISEASES.

TUB OPINION OF EXPERTS. 1 (Article Published under Authority of Education Department.) ' It has been suggested by a now:-- • paper correspondent that the Educa- ' 1 ion Department should make clearer < upon what grounds it has stated in an 1 iirticlo recently published under its i authority that sugar is a cause of den- 1 lal disease. The article referred to Is line of a series in which the Depart- . mciit is endavouring to do something . to stein the steady advance of this now almost universal disease which N | , becoming an increasingly . serious menace to our national welfare. It should be emphasised at the outs"; that the excessive consumption "" sujrnr is not. the only cause to wlucit dental decay is attributed, but in tin: opinion of eminent dental and medical authorities after careful observation and research during the last 20 year;it is certainly regarded as one of the chief causes of the phenomenal increase in dental caries experienced in 'Modern times. Were we possessed 0 f no further knowledge than that sugar being an acid-producing fond helps to decalcify • the enamel which is the protective covering of the teeth, a glance at the figures showing the increase in'the consumption of sugar during the last SO years' would probably convince the average render that there is some connexion between the excessive consumption of sugar ami the increase in dental decay. : Ample proof in support of this belief will be found in the following re feronces to. and extracts from, the writings of those qualified to speak upon this subject. Sugar Cone and Natives' Teeth. 11. l\ riekerill. -M.D.. M.D.E. (Birmingham), Dean of the Dental Faculty. University of Otugo, who lias engaged in considerable research work in connexion witlPlhe causes of dental disease, litis stated thai manufactured sugar, especially jn the form of sweets, is a potent cause of dental decay, lie affirms that a growing child can obtain all the sugar it needs for its muscles, fat. and heat development from consumption of it in a natural form. i.e.. :is foun I ill fruit and some vegetables. l'r. I'ickerill shows that 'the example of native children chewing a large amount of sugar oatie being quoted and accepted by many as evidence that cane sugar cannot be pro ductive of dental caries is erroneous. The .juice of the sugar cane is markedly acid like fruit.juice and produces a copious flow of alkaline saliva, illduring a condition of alkalinity in the mouth live times greater than that evoked by bread and butter. There is also a marked difference in the concentration of cane sugar as taken by natives in sugar cane and as inkeii in the form of lump sugar or -weds. It requires about 20 sticks of sugar cane to make one pound of lump sugar. This means that every large "lump" of sugar is equal to two feet of cane. European children frequently therefore eat the equivalent of at least 10 to 12 tec! of cane in ;i tew I minutes, uhil any adults consume p the equivalent of at least -J to ti feet ■ i .1. Sim Wallace. D.Se., jr.D., 1..D.5.. I ' formerly dental surgeon iidn lecturer I ; on dental surgery. London Hospital. I! has written numerous works on the I I Cause and Prevention of Decay in 9| Childhood, l-'or twenty years past he 8 j has consistently taught that for the I rely upon a properly arranged diet. \ In numbers of ease* Dr. Wallace has i proved that children, brought up on a i rational diet with the elimination of jj free sugar, are immune from dental a disease. He discovered the kinds of H tends which tended to induce dent->l " I caries md those which tended to pre- ! vent caries, from considerations of the 1 evolutionary history of man and hi.riet. from careful clinical and statisti- | cal observations with regard to diet among children who were practically free from and those who were ravaged . by caries and from comparisons of the j teeth and diet of different savage races. ! Children With Perfect Teeth. He says: "The excellent rc-ui;.-e.hieh have been got by bringing up children on ;i dietetic regime based ] upon the knowledge derived from these sources show beyond all possibility of doubt that dental caries is not only prcventible but that it is easily and surely preventiblc.'' t The teachings of Dr. Wallace v\ itli il regard to the elimination of free sugar from the diet of children have been i carried out by enthusiasts all over the I world, and in this Dominion there are ' I instances of dentists and doctors who. ! having sufficient faith in their beliefs, ' have put them into practice with their own children with the result that these children now posiess perfect teeth. Teeth, of English School Children. Dr. James Wheatley, County and School Medical Officer for Shropshire. f has been able to prove from his statistics that the eating of sweets by children is responsible for $0 per cent of the decayed teeth in children at the j present day. In May of this year Dr. j Wheat ley produced a record of investiI gatious in the elementary schools oi J Shropshire', showing that since the war I there had been a very pronounced decrease in the numlver of children sufferI in™ from decayed teeth due to the al- ! tercd character of the bread and the j lessened consumption of srreetsy The average percentage of children with teeth free from decay at the age of five year-: during the years 1910-1914 inclusive wai j per eeut, an'd during tie last sL" months previous to May, 1920. it was 44. per cent. At the age of 22 years tie figures were 2.9 arid 27.1 respectively. Etfereace to other authorities smsi be deferred fox aaot&sr article, is.

conclusion the Department considers that in view of the above and other statement it may be safely said that it is now a generally accepted opinion amongst exports that sugar is one of the most potent causes of dental decay.