Milford chronicle., 1920-02-20
TEETH AND HEALTH
By r. ALLEN GRIFFITH, D. D. S.
AGAIN As TO CHILDREN

Seyenty-fye per cent Of the schoo
T children of today have physical de
fects. Most Of these defects are pre-
J yentable or remediable. We ar
rightly spending millions Of dollar
) annually in caring for the criminal
insane and other defective. Most o
these institutions could be closed in Z
generation if the medical profession
mad the power TO enforce the preYen'
tive measures known to the world TO-
day. They only require proper legis-
lation
1t is possible in our democracy FOL
an imbecile to be elected to almost
any public office, and when we see
the annual pork barrels" OF millions
if not billions of dollars expended on
all sorts Of trivial, foolish projects and
experiments to control a few votes,
we can only wonder if we have not
elected many
Malnutrition is at present OCCUPYING
the attention of some OF our school
boards, and while no one doubts that
a proper diet is necessary TO grow
ing child, yet of what good IS any
kind of food if the teeth are so Dadly
decayed that eating becomes a PAIN
ful operation?
The physical examination Of school
children shows that from 95 to SO per
cent are in need of dental treatment.
Many of these children average elghl
to ten cavities and two or three aDs-
cessed teeth, which are continually
pouring pus into the system and un-
dermining the health of the child.
These cavities are filled with rot
ten, decaying food, sometimes weeks
old. and they are mixing this decom-
posing mass with all the food and
drink they take. No wonder children
suffer from malnutrition if the food
must pass thru an uncaredfor mouth
that is more like a cesspoOl than re-
ceptacle for the transmission of food
to the body. every ounce of which
must pass thru this disease-breeding
area and naturally becomes contain
mated with a mass of bacteria.
No wonder such children are sick
ly and lacking in strength to resist
disease. No wonder they are not con-
sidered bright and intelligent and
many times figure in our mentally de-
ficent classes in school work. No child
can grow in stature and mentality
with a body that is not properly nour- I
ished. They cannot be properly nOur- .
ished if the mouth is unclean.
In Cleveland, Ohio, 81 per cent of .
the school children had defective .
mouths.
In the prosecution of the clinical
work to improve the mouth conditions
al, rn1aofnl
out of a school OF SAG pupils as hay
ing the greatest amount of oral de-
'ects. These twenty-seven children
showed an average increased ehicien-
~ Of 99.S per cent after proper dem
al attention.
The improvement in their physical
and moral standards was quite as
marked as that in their mental activ-
ty.
Every school has a certain per-
;antage of retarded pupils The cost
)f having the children make up this
work costs the country millions of
lollars annually. Much of this could
,e saved by proper dental care.
Two or three bad teeth will keep a
.hild back six months during the first
'ight grades. which means an extra
,ost Of from SIS to $50. A few years
Igo $1,000 children failed to pass to
higher grades in New York City be-
ause of absence.
Eighty per cent of this absence was
.aused directly or indirectly by bad
eeth and cost the city of New York
i 037 .696
The anemic ill-nourished. stupid,
,afardad anf1I Is aTr,,oct lt1rovrc
With a foul. unclean mouth.
A noted educator says. what is
he use of trying to teach arithmetic
o a child whose capabilities are only
lalf their maximum, due to a grossly
neglected oral cavity?"
Each year 25O000 children are
graduated from the elementary public
schools Of this country; 25O,00O more
lave dropped from the ranks each
'ear and have failed to complete the
course. One-third Of
hese dropped out on account Of i'll
lealth, and so per cent of the i'll
lealth was due to defective teeth.
Taking this specific knowledge of
he deleterious effect of a diseased
mouth upon the child. school, state
nd nation into consideration, it be-
Omes a great economic and socialog-
cal problem. Oral cleanliness means
ess disease, more work and play, less
discomfort and pain and fewer doc
OT's bills
Most of the ills of the human fam
ly are due to the lack of proper care
n childhood. and statistics show that
rom so to 80 per cent of these ills
ire due directly or indirectly to the
eeth.