South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-11-26
"Open your mouth, sonny."


Four hundred times that order. or
variations Of it was repeated Tuesday
at the Madison school where dental
inspection in the South Bend public
schools underwent its first test. From
S o'clock in the morning until 3 in
the afternoon two unbrOken lines Of
boys and girls faced the two dentists
who with the other members of the
st. Joseph County Dental society have
volunteered their services for this inn
pOrtant undertaking.
BY 3 o'clock they had examined the
teeth OF every child in the school and
out of 400 had found but IL or 10
perfect sets. The result of each eX
animation was charted on a specially
printed report blank and will be sub
mitted to the respective parents with
recommendations for immediate at
tentiOn.
The dentists who conducted the ex-
animation sat with their backs to the
large windows in the principals office.
One by one the children were seated
before them and the mirror and eX-
ploring instruments deftly and speed
ly launched on their tour of inspec-
ton" so that each examination con-
sumed not more than two or three
minutes.
All instruments were thoroughly
steriliZed before put into the mouth Of
any child, and were so manipulated
that il was not necessary for the fin
gers of the examiner to come in con
tact with the mouth. A dozen or so
duplicates of the necessary instru-
ments were provided by the school
board and as soon as one set was
taken from the mouth of a child it
was dropped into an electrically heat
ed steriliZer and from there was pass
ed to an antiseptic solution before
again put TO use.
On the printed record Of examina-
is a diagram of the mouth with the
teeth numbered. AS the dentist COM
pleted his examination he checked off
on this diagram the teeth which need
ed attention and indicated whether
cleaning was necessary.
In the course of several weeks the
mouth of every school child in South
Bend will have undergone such an ex-
animation. On account of it's being
Thanksgiving week no other school
will be undertaken this week but after
Monday the work will be conducted
Systematically each day until it is
completed. Two dentists will be as
signed to a school and will give their
services for as many days as neces-
sary entirely free of charge, working
under the auspices of the st. Joseph
County Dental society. The work Will
not be restricted to the public schools
but will be conducted in all the paro-
chial schools as we'll.
The undertaking has been entirely
approved by the school board and by
the authorities Of the parochial
schools. and the school board has pro-
vided all the necessary instruments
including the electric sterilizers.
The work has been undertaken by
the society in the belief, as the rec
ord of examination specifies. that a
sound body and sound mind are usual
companions and that neglect in the
care of teeth is the cause of much i'll
health and the purpose is to bring to
the parents knowledge that their
childrens teeth need the attention of
a dentist.
Following is the list Of assignments
Of the members of the St. Joseph
County Dental society for the inspec-
ton. The list of schools and dentists
has not been completed, but will be
announced in few days:
Wednesday, Nov. 25. st. Joseph
academy-Dr. John A. Stoeckley.
Monday, Nov. 80, ColfaX school
A. NJ, DR.. Glenn Shidler, DR.. j. c.