Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-04
DENTAL WORK AMONG
THE SCHOOL CHILDREN
The Situation in Delaware is One
That Demands Immediate
Attention.

The State Board of Education has
issued the following statement:
The dental situation IN Delaware is
,nc that demands immediate attention.
We are speaking now for the need Tor
lental work among the school children
e the State. This is not condition pc
,,,l,ar 10 Delaware It is one that is met
everywhere. However. the percentage of
children recurring dental attention is
somewhat larger here than in most OF the
other States.
Tn TO the present time there has been
Sery little educational or corrective work
lone in the line of mouth hygiene IN
Delaware. There arc free clinics established
throughout the State for the treatment
If practically every other defect found IN
,hiidren. while clinics for the treatment of
teeth have so far been neglected. This is
hue to a number of causes, chief among
ghich is the lack of necessary funds.
Mouth hygiene is a subject about which
much has been written and SAID. Few
people. however, realize the Importance
If it or know how it affects chIid, men
:allv. morally and physically
No child can be expected TO DO the
amount of brain work OF which nc IS
capable if he is continually receiving
supply OF blood to his brain which IS
alden with poisonous material or toxins.
This is what happens when case OF IN
lection of the gums tGlngivltis) develops.
There are little pockets of pus and bac-
,eria or germs formed at the roots OF the
,eefh from which toxic or poisonous
material is constantly taken up by the
blood and carried to all parts Of the body.
These NAV be deposited in the JOINTS,
giving rise to rheumatism, or they may be
deposited in the heart, giving rise TO heart
disease. These are only two OF the places
that a secondaryinfectionm may take place,
What causes infection of the gumsf
Tartar is allowed to accumulate on the
teeth. This is a hard foreign body and as
such sets up an irritation OF the gums.
There are ALWAYS bacteria IN the mouth.
These get into the irritated raw surface
and set UP the infection. Again decayed
teeth may be allowed to 90 untitled. De
cav is caused by bacteria getting into the
tooth through a broken or abraded ensmei
the hard outside covering Of the teeth
These bacteria work their way down
through the root of the tooth and out INTO
the tissue surrounding it and set up infec-
ton.
EFFECT ON MORALS.
Flow do unclean teeth affect s child
morally? We all know that q child who IS
habituallv unclean physically IS IN most
instances a bad child. He has no pride of
appearance. Nothing is TOO mean for hum
to do. Take this same child and clean him
10. Make him cleaner than his fellows
What is the result? He develops pride
Of appearance. This reflects itself n his
character He feels that he Is too good 10
10 a mean or low thing He becomes
model child This change is even more
pronounced when il Is the mouth that Is
cleaned up. He feels that his mouth and
teeth are much cleaner and nicer than his
comrades. He will, therefore, come TO
eel that he is an example OF what Is
right and all his actions will conform to
This ides. He will be clean about his body
and his clothes The cleaner he gets, the
better satisfied with himself he IS.
We have shown above how it Will bene-
1T him physically.
What is being done in Delaware about
this matter? The United States Public
Health Service has sent its dental unit
to Delaware TO demonstrate the need and
value of this work. II has been IN four
communities now and has everywhere
succeeded in arousing an interest IN the
impressed on the children the necessity
Tor a clean mouth and has interested them
sxceedingly This unit viii continue its
work until the end of the present school
year
We hope that money will be available
FOR US to use IN establishing this work
permanently In the State. We hope 10
nave a unit consisting OF three persons. q
dentist and two hygienists with portable
equipment who will travel over the entire
state doing this work which is so essential
10 the good health and happiness OF our
children. We want 10 begin work as soon
as school opens next fall. This unit willnot
Of course be able to do all the actual work
necessary IN the state, but it VIII be able
10 do that which is most urgent and will
irlpress upon the children the necessity
for having llneeded work doneiinmediate-
IN. In this way, the children will be taught
to have their mouths cared for and form
habit which will remain with them for
life How many adults are there now wear
ing alse teeth, who do not wish that such
service or teaching had been given them in
their younger days? Not one, We venture
to say.
How many children are there in Della
ware in need of such treatment? Out Of
the 1900 children already examined there
are approximately So per cent who have
defective teeth which need immediate
attention.
There is one very important feature in
this work which should not be overlooked.
That is the financial one How can this
work be Of financial aid TO the state? In
one city of the United States 49 per cent
Of the school budget was used for re-
educat ion That is. it was used to educate
children who had failed in grade Then
mouth hygiene was instituted All the
children were treated The result of this
one feature alone was that now only II
per cent of the school budget is used for
re-education, saving of 81 per cent.
Has Had Great Fall.