DIET AND TEETH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 August 1940, Page 6

DIET AND TEETH

COMPARISON TN BRITAIN.

It has long been said that the teeth of the inhabitants of the Island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, are better than those of the people in the other parts of Great Britain—that is to say, that they suffer less from cariour disease. This view has now been confirmed by an investigation conducted by Dr. J. D. King for the Medical Research Council. "Among the country children in Lewis,” he reports, "28 per cent —and up to 50 per cent in one distriett —were found to be entirely free from dental caries, as compared with G. 3, 1.9 and 2.5 per cent respectively in comparable groups in West Ross-shire, London, and Sheffield.” Moreover, it was found that children from the rural areas in Lewis were much freer from disease than were those from urban areas. The percentage of children free from disease was well under 10 per cent in the case of urban children and something over 30 per cent among rural children. Also, the teeth structure of the rural children was noticeably superior to that of urban children. The diet of each group was examined, and it was discovered that the diet of the urban children contained more bought white bread, meat ' and fruit, and less fish, milk and oat- i meal than did that of the rural child-1 ren. The healthy teeth of the rural j children were the result of (he calcify- ] ing properties of their diet, of the liberal supply of fat. soluble vitamins and mineral sails it contained. That, says the "Manchester Guardian." is just one conclusion about a desirable diet for good health among many.