Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-11-07
DENTISTRY HAS
NO TERRORS FOR
NASSAU CHILDREN
Red Cross Juniors Provide
Mobile Dental Equipment
as Part of Health
Program

Lack of even ordinary care of the
teeth on the part of many school chill
dren in Nassau county, Long Island,
was revealed by the medical report
of the schools of the county for 1917
and 1918.
Many of the children never had any
dental attention and those who were
making regular visits to the dentists
did so often to the detriment of their
school work.
From now on the 5000 school chill
dren of the seventy schools in the
county need not go to the dentist,
however. The dental car of the
Junior Red Cross of Nassau county
will attend to all that.
DR.. Vincent T. Meaney will operate
the car as well as the tooth buzzer."
With him will ride a nurse and both
will be uniformed in white. In the
car is a dental chair built especially
for children and all apparatus for
dental work. This mobile dental Of
fee will make the rounds of all the
schools, fill teeth, detect bad tonsils
for a surgeon to deal with and in gem
eral insist on the clean teeth" motto
of the modern school.
The plan for the travelling dental
shop was conceived and executed by.
Mrs. E. C. Brewer of Roslyn, L. L,
chairman of the Red Cross Committee
on Schools of the County.
Proud of Experiment.
Nassau County Chapter is very
proud of its experiment" said Mrs.
Brewer. Already the experiment has
proved to be a great success. 1t fills
a very definite need in our county.
l am sure that in many communities
there are many children who lack
proper care of the teeth and should
the Junior Red Cross in any town
desire to start a Red Cross Dental
Educational Car, let me give them
some details. The car cost US $3.50,
the prophylactic chair $50, instruments
and case $244.31.
THAT was the only initial expense
and it was small enough when n
considers the amount of good which
such an equipment can do in country
districts where instructive medical
measures are lacking. The dentist
who is in charge of the mobile dental
Office has been engaged by the year.
Assisting him is a public health nurse
who has been provided by the Board
of Education. The equipment was pur-
chased with the funds raised entirely
by the school children of the Nassau
County Junior Red Cross. The chill
dren know that the car belongs to
them. That is one reason for their
continuing interest and pride in it.
"The Red Cross Dental Educational
Car makes the rounds of all schools
in the community continued Mrs.
Brewer. 1.-THE nurse lists the things
to be done to the children's teeth and
submits an estimate of the cost to
the parents. Prices are low. 1t costs
rs cents to have one tooth filed, IS
cents for two, and As cents for three.
Other work is charged for in proper
ton. If a family cannot afford to
pay the bill, the cost is charged up
against the school, so that there can
be no charity stigma attached to the
project.
I'm addition to the Dental Car, the
Junior Red Cross of Nassau County
is to have a hospital all its owl. The
Nassau Hospital Association has given
a building at Mineola which has been
named the Nassau County Junior Red
Cross Hospital. Clinics will be held
there for the school children. On his
rounds, DR.. Meaney will seek out
children who are in need of medical
attention and refer them to the clinics.
The Nassau County Red Cross Medi-
cal Corps has offered to cooperate
and will carry the youngsters from the
| ontluino districts to the hOSDital.o