Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-09-19


In the nature of a campaign of educa-
ton, but the work was an uphill
struggle with very little encouragement
from the people who were to be bene-
fitted.
Finally the school boards took q
hand in the matter, and when exami-
nations OF scholars were made 1t in
cluded an inspection and report on the
teeth of each pupil, 1t was then that
some real Roadway was made, but 1t
was only because the examinations
showed such a deplorable condition
that 1t fairly staggered the examining
physicians, who found that on an aver
age ninety children out of every hun
dred were badly In need of attention
so far as their teeth were concerned,
while over so per cent. had teeth so
badly diseased that they were almost
beyond hope of saving.
Find Deadly Germs.
Cultures taken from the mouths OF
many of these children showed germs
that were deadly, and in sufficient
numbers to practically doom the child
as soon as the germs had worked into
the system, where they were bound to
land ultimately. Teeth were found to
be ideal i~ncubating places for nearly
every form Of disease, and the discov-
cry Of the prevalence of this condition
accounted for much of the illness that
had marked certain cases under OBJ
servation.
In Newark the Importance of this
work and the immediate need of re-
lieving the situation was recognized by
many of the leading organizations,
whose chief mission is to aid the needy
and help in the alienation of the con-
dftion of the poor. In the matter of
diseased teeth. however, 1t was found
that the rich and the poor were pretty
much in the same class, although
among the poorer classes the percent
age of cases was much higher than
among the children of parents who
have a regular family dentist, who at
tends to such matters.
Thu local Bureau of Associated Chart
ties, the Visiting Nurses Association,
the Newark Social Settlement, the Jew
ish Sisterhood, the Sophia Record Set
Element, the Catholic Children's Aid So
ciety, aided by several private indi-
viduals who had become interested in
the work, banded together for the pur-
pose of opening a dental clinic where
the public could receive attention with
out cost, and where, to some extent,
the spread of diseased teeth might be
checked. The Newark Social Settlement
offered rooms at its headquarters, at
555 Market street, and here, with q
secondhand chair that had been do
mated by a supply house n a decided
ly limited equipment of operating tools,
the first free dental clinic was opened
in June, 1909.
The start was a small one and the
equipment was poor and ~antiquated,
but it was a start, and through the
solicitation of some of the dentists who
had interested themselves in the work
contributions were received to carry on
the work. h services of the dentists
were given free and the people who
were treated had the additional ad-
vantage of receiving attention from the
best dentists in the city.
Clinic Enlarged.
AS the work and success of the new
clinic became better known the de-
mands upon the limited facilities of the
institution grew to such proportions
that it was very soon discovered that
the equipment n working force were
entirely inadequate and the organizers
of the project set about to enlarge Upon
the accommodations. The Board of
Education was appealed to, as it was
found that the majority of the patents
treated at the clinic were school chill
dren, but the board was Handicapped
by a lack of funds that could be utilized
for the purpose.
The board did, however, give a room
in the house at the Newton street play
grounds and another secondhand
equipment was secured from local deal
ers. From the very start the Newton
street clinic attracted scores of children
who were glad enough of the oppor-
tunity to have their teeth cared for.
Here, too, the outfit and arrangements
were from the beginning entirely out of
proportion to the demands made upon
them, and it was evident that if the
work was to be follwed up with any
degree of lasting success the plans
would have to be made much broader
Up to this time the work had been
made possible only through the vol
untary subscriptions of a few inter-
ested parties, but these hardly kept
pace with the requirements of the two
clinics. In order that the patients
would not feel hat they were subjects
| of charity, a small fee was decided
upon for treatment In all cases, and the
following schedule was put into effect.
One set of filings, rs cents; each adj
ditional filing, 10 cents; cleaning. TO-
cents; extracting temporary teeth, 8
cents each; permanent teeth, 10 cents
each; temporary teeth, first filling, 10
cents.
or course these prices were not in
tended to support the clinics. and in
fact they were not enough to pay for