Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-09-22
BOARDS BUBBLES
BLOCK TEETH CLINICS
Education and Health Depart ments Seek to Sidestep Re-
spOnsibiity of This M uch.Needed Innovation
Throughout City, Say Leading Men.

gladly aid any movement that had for
its object the extension of the clinic
system, and the opening of greater OPP
portunities for the poor, and particular
ly the children, to receive proper dental
treatment.
DR.. II. C. H. Herold, president of the
Board of Health, also favors the es-
adjustment OF more clinics.
~ consider the matter one of great
Importance he said. and l believe
that the city should nave more dental
clinics such as are advocated by the
EVENING STAR. / nave brought the
matter to the attention of the board
on several occasions, and we have the
subject under consideration now. The
summer season, with the consequent
absence from the city OF some of the
members, has caused the matter to be
temporarily dropped, but we will re-
vive 1t at once, n see if something
cannot be done to extend this good
and much-needed work. am thorough
ly In favor of such clinics, and hope
the city win soon have more OF them"
Frederick f. Guild, president of the
Board of Education, realizes the need
Of clinics where the school children
can receive the care and treatment
that they now lack.
at Is only too true said Mr.. Guild,
that the children ara sadly In need Of
attention so far as their teeth are con-
oerned, and l believe the subject is
one of the most p%erplexing that we
have to grapple with. While I would
like to see more dental clinics estab-
lished and better accommodations az
forded for the treatment OF the school
c%hildren's teeth I cannot see that II Is
within the province of the Board of
Education to maintain such institu-
tons.
81 do not profess to say who should
assume this responsibility, III the
Board of Education has so much to
take car of in other directions that
1t would be out of the question to I'M
dertake any such proposition as the
one involved in this matter. We are
doing now all that we can under the
circumstances, and while l realize that
something should be done and done
quickly, / do not think that the Board
of Education should be looked to to
establish and maintain these clinics"
DIR. stoekton's Views.
DR.. Charles S. Stockton, who is recog-
nized as the dean of the dental pro-
fession In this city, has always been a
warm advocate of the dental clinic
idea and one of its most energetic sup
porters. 1t was largely through his
efforts that the two clinics in operation
now were opened at all, for he took
hold ~ AhA ,soloot 49,. .z.
languishing and pulled 1t through to a
point where it was finally put into
actual operation. He personally raised
more than 81, 100. and it was this money
that really made the clinics possible.
1T is unfortunate" he said, that so
few people realize the Importance of
this clinic idea. The experience of the
past two years, during which time the
clinics have been In operation, has
shown what a great need there is for
work of this kind. We need more
clinics and more dentists to help in
the task, but the full scope of the
best work cannot be accomplished
without substantial assistance. The
teeth of most of the school children
are in a de%plorable condition and need
more attention than anyone has any
idea of, unless they have investigated
the conditions.
Il have gone to the two local clinics
and found cases that were of the most
advanced type of dental disease, and
yet in most of these cases the trouble
could have been avoided with a little
care. ! am sure that the articles in the
EVENING STAR will do a lot of good,
and | have read them with a great deal
of interest, for l know they treat of
the conditions just as / have found
them. / only hope that this campaign
of education will result in the general
public awakening to a realization of the
Importance of the subject, and that our
local authorities will come to the aid
of the clinics already in existence and
hasten the establishment of others"
Acting Mayor Pennington, president
of the Board of Aldermen, said: There
Is great need Of more dental clinics in
Newark, and I hope to see them estab-
lished in the near future. The trouble
now is that there is so little money
available for this purpose that an eX-
tension of the work is hardly possible,
but it ought to be within reason to get
the proper legislation to enable the
city to appropriate more money for the
purpose.
Boards should Unite.
II trust the Board of Education and
the Board of Health will do all in their
power to help along this worthy work
and try to get for the city additional
clinics, such as the two nov in exist
ence. Personally l am in thorough ac-
cord with the idea and heartily indorse
the plan to secure dental clinic accom-
modations in keeping with the size and
growth of our city
Alderman Jerome Congleton, who has
always taken an interest in the clinic
work, voiced pretty nearly the same
views as Mr.. Pennington. "All that is
needed to carry out the plans for more
and larger dental clinics is more money
and more dentists who will volunteer
for the work. We can only appropriate
81, 900 a year at present, but would give
more if the conditions permitted. l
think the idea is a very good one and
probably one of the most important of
the many that confront that end OF
the city's life. The teeth of the chill
dren should be attended to, by all
a for without healthy teeth there
cannot be a healthy body. l would
like to see more such clinics and a
larger staff OF dentists to attend them"
USE STAR WANT ADS.