The Press., 1919-11-06

Lack of even ordinary care of the teeth on the part of many school chil- 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 detrjment of their school work
 From now on the 25,OOO school chil- 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 | flee will make the rounds of all the schools, fill teeth, detect bad tonsils | for a surgeon to deal with and in gen. eral insist on the "clean teeth" motto 1 of the modern school
 The plan for the travelling dental shop was conceived and executed by Mrs. E. c. Brewer of Roslyn, L. L, l chairman of the Red Cross Committee | On Schools of the County.
 Proud of Experiment. Nassau County Chapter is very proud of it's experiment" said Mrs. Brewer. Already the experiment has proved to be a great success. It fills very definite need in our county. I 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 $75O the prophylactic chair $50, instruments and case $244,31,
 | That was the only initial expense and it was small enough when one | 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 chil- 1 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 '"The nurse lists the things
 to bo done to the -children's teeth and
 submits an estimate of the cost to the parents. Prices are low. It costs 25 cents to have one tooth filled, 35
 cents for two, and 45 cents for three. Other work is charged for in propor-
 ton. If family cannot afford to
 pay the bill, the cost is charged up 1 against the school, so that there can
 be no charity stigma attached to the l project.
 "In addition to the Dental Car, the
 Junior Red Cross of Nassau County
 is to have hospital all it's own. The l 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 Corn0 has offered to cooperate
 and will carry the youngsters from the
 outlying districts to the hospital"