Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-05-06
SOUND Teeth MEANS
GOOD HEALTH
The Crying Evil Of the Day is Wide
Spread Prevalence Of Bad
Teeth.
PAPER READ BY DR.. GRADY U.S.N.
Father Of National Mouth Hygiene
Movement Tells Of Dangers Of
Unsound Teeth.

OnS0un0 Ieeth.
Part III.
The Establishment of free clinics for
school children is a splendid example
of true civic helpfulness. The first free
clinic exclusively for school children
in New York cost for treatment of each
child 1910 and including equipment.
S4.10 In New York city the cost of
educating a child is about 20 cents a
day. In one school the number OF alb
sentees due to toothache and alliel
mouth troubles in two months among
children with or without dental treat
ment showed absentees receiving den
tai care 3S per cent. absentees not re-
ceiving dental care. "a per cent.
If the same rate obtains throughout
the year the loss of money to the city
equals an enormous sum. The Russell
Sage Foundation Fund that of zoos
pupils examined. children with defec-
tive teeth progressed per cent. more
slowly than normal children. Many
large establishments have dental elm
les for their employees. In New York.
Lord 4 Taylor. where 500 cases were
treated in one year, John Manamaker.
Mays: in Chicago, Sears Roebuck
have a dental clinic for the exclusive
use of their 10000 employees: i'm Buf-
falo, the Larkin Soap Company: i'm
Manchester. \. H. a manufacturing
company furnishes free dentist for al
employees children OF II years and
under; the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co.
gives free instruction in the care al
the teeth to employees and furnishes
tooth brushes to school children: the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
opened a dental bureau for its $500
employees in 1915.
The question is often asked what is
the motive back of such an idea Is it
purely humanitarian or solely dollar
and-cent idea, based on a rising wave
of increased inefficiency7 Some firms
answer the question one way and some
another. No matter what the motive.
it is a recognition that healthy work
ers are less liable to make mistakes.
ares teatdier, surer and safer workers.
With no accepted methods of conduct
ing dental dispensaries or of bringing
before the public the needs of good
dentistry il should be the duty of the
National Dental Association. it seems to
me, to standardize the oral hygiene
propaganda. Only about 10 per cent
of the public. it was claimed formerly
made a practice of going to the dentist
regularly for treatment | put before
you some questions which | can't help
asking myself:
Has the percentage Go per cent?
just mentioned been raised as the re
suit of all the educational work OF the
past sixteen years? Why shouldn't it
have made greater impression? Are
all the people going to the dentist who
are in personal need of dental attention
and who can afford to do so: Shall
we best educate the children n our
schools? BY lectures, tooth brush
drills, awarding prizes or marking on
their monthly reports their standard OF
mouth hygiene as is done on deport-
ment cards? Which is the best meth
Cd of conducting the dental dispense
ries by clinics. such as Boston has. Or
by dividing the territory into sections
and have an individual dispensary in
each school building as at Detroit? At
Bridgeport the effort is confined large
ly to preventive work by prophylactic
treatment, lectures ard tooth brush
drills. Rochester will have a combina-
ton of the Boston and Bridgeport
plans. At Philadelphia there is a cen
trail dispensary and branches in school
buildings. BY whom should the dental
dispensary be conducted-by the Board
of Educationg as in Bridgeport. or
under the control of body of laymen
as in Boston or Rochester?
1t is said that there is a time when
egotism becomes modesty.' The ma
tional oral hygiene movement came
into existence through members of this
The intelligent interest awakened is
amply manifested in what l have told
you about dental decay among school
children, about the effect of dental i'm
pairment physical social, educational)
about the status of dental clinics about
dental defects and absences, about the
| economic loss to the educational sys-
TEN. In 1913 nearly 100000 New York
school children failel of promotion and
the cost of IRE educating" these equal
cd nearly fcur million dollars.
In the words of Dr. Belcher, this
work gets into your blood Let him
who will ask Where is the fruit; its
value and usefulness grew on you until
YOU cannot give it up if you would"
To each of US is given the honorable
privilege of doing his part, however
small, in that work. Let at least the
satisfaction be ours that we carried
onward the lighted torch in our day
| and generation.
THE End
Catarrh Deafness Cannot Be Cured