Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1900-05-30
DENTAL ~DECADENCE.
Europeans Are Alarmed Over Con-
dition of Their Teeth.
Medical Authorities lave for Some
Time Been Exercised by the
Neglect of Juvenile
Hygiene.

\ writer i'm the Dentist has raised
i cry of alarm abolt the dental de-
cadence of the English people. He
calls attention e. The early rayages
which carries is making upon the teeth
of English children, and calls for pre-
,cnttN, measures against n state OF
affairs which be- r~cgu.ls rs IA nation
al calamity" Among 7;G children,
whose mouths he examined, he found
a,.j5 bad teeth.
lie is justly alarmed 10y this figure,
aud he calls the attention of nil the
schonlu asterS and .caoolmistrcSses TO
this too-much neglected point of ju-
y.nile hygiene. The remedy which he
advocates is a dental inspection to be
made regularly and Systematically
by skilled dentists in all the public
schools.
If English teeth are in danger, there
is no reason 10 fee more secure con-
corning the future Of French teeth.
The French dentists are not less pes
simistic than the director of the Eng
lish review. According to DIR. Pictkie-
v;cz, out of the whole number of pu-
pills of the public schools brought TO
his dental clinic 50 per sent. are in
need OF immediate treatment. and by
adding TO these the number of those
who. without being seriously affected,
heed careful watching and treatment
..,.. ~. l,t,r tl.. tntul a.. lrntYnht
M to T. per cent. VI. Daily estimates
the proportion of children who are in
urgent need Of dental care 10 be SIS
per cent, ut least,
\ few years ago La Societe de Mede-
cine Pratique did not consider this
question OF too little Importance TO
occupy its attention, and after a rigid
criticism of the manner in which cor
roreal hygiene is in general compre-
Tended in the lyceums il made the
following recommendations:
J.. Thatthepupi!S Of the colleges and
lyceums be required Ia take the neces-
siry care, morning and night, Of their
months and tech.
= That they be placed in this re-
garsi in better practical conditions
than these at present offered them.
3. That they be all examined at the
beg aiming of each quarter three
monthsl session by the dentist at
tachc1 to the establishments
Have those recommendations been
needed? II Is doubtful, for. generally,
the dentists begin TO treat their clients
cIly wien il is too late ~ save them.
Many explanations were given of this
earlincss of dental impairment among
the children. The blame was laid on
dyspepsia. the abuse Of sweets. Ger.
tain drinkS-such rs cider, AMI on the
quality of drinking water. Some
spoke Of the influence of cerebral fl.
t,gue. DR.. Stilerwood remarked that
with children who study hard the
teeth d,teriorate rapidly after these
children ute school, and nothing
stops rhr progress Of the evil but tax.
ing them from their studies. Accord.
ing TO Magitot TOO assiduous applica,
tion injuries the good development
and preservation of the teeth of the
pupils OF the EeOie Polytechnique. Al
that is possible and no one icnies the
influence Of these auxiliary condi,
tons But the true causr, rest as
sured OF il, is the neglect or ignoranc,
of the toothbrush. Many parents. in
this respect. seem to be- inspired by
the remark of Cnlino: why do PEG
pie wash their hands every day ano
revcr wash their feet"!" Children mr.,
taught TO clean their faces every day,
but how many are until thu
age Of reason. and the agr of reason
is sometimes late in coming, that tn,