Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-01-01
DENTAL INFECTION
BY H. Arlington Bruce
r ATELY there has been much criticism
of the theory Of dental infection as

| of the theory of dental infection as
- cause of rheumatism and other sys-
| temic diseases. The criticism is based on the
undeniable fact that often people who have
| teeth extracted on suspicion of responsible
| ity for disease elsewhere in the body con-
tinue to suffer as much from disease as be-
fore the dental work was done.
But to argue from this fact, as some Of
the critics would seem to argue, that alb
scessed and decayed teeth at most play only
o minor role in producing systemic disturb
"nces is to blink the equally undeniable
fact that again and again remarkable cures
| of general disease are effected by the SIM
pie process of removing teeth shown by X
ray or other evidence to have assesses at
their roots.
Or, in the justly enthusiastic words Of
DR.. C. B. Bray:
"The dentists operations are confined to
the teeth, but he secures astounding results
in almost any part of the anatomy. A man
| comes to him with a hcronic case of rheu-
matism. He pulls tooth-presto! the rheu-
matism, which may have been in the mans
ankle at the other end of his anatomy, is
gone:
''This is only case. There are hun
dreds. Men come with indigestion, men
come with neuralgia pains; in fact, with
everything down to and including an in
grown and souring disposition, and the
dentist fixes them up by treating their teeth
Is it any wonder dentistry is being hailed
with loud acclaim"
Only of course, it would never do to infer
from this that dental Infection is the inva-
riable cause of the maladies which it some
times does cause. To make such an infer
ence would be as gross an error as to argue
that diseased teeth have systemic con-
sequences. And it must be said that some
dental zealots certainly make pretty extern
sive claims
Germs producing rheumatism and other
MI nfrv into %hA h1I
through various portals other than abscessed
teeth They frequently enter, for example,
through the tonsils. And frequently, what
ever their portal of entry, they may be held
in check through a natural immunity or a
resistive vitality acquired by hygienic body
building.
Consequently, as the critics of the dental
Infection theory al1ege, it is by no means
| uncommon to find Assessed teeth in per-
sons showing not the slightest symptom of
systemic rtouble. Which again, however,
does not prove that dental infection is
harmless as disease-producing agent.
All that it suggests is that teeth need not
| always be sacrificed simply because the X
ray shows them to be diseased. Nor, even if
symptoms of systemic disease are unmis-
takably present, should it be taken for
granted that the finding of abscessed teeth
is guarantee that the sole cause of the
systemic disorder has been found The state
OF the tons1ls and sinuses, the possibility of
gall bladder Infection etc. should also he
inquired into.
That is to say, conservatism rather than
! radicalism should be the watchword with re-
gard to the extracting Of teeth-unless the
family doctor and dental surgeon are agreed
that even slightly infected teeth should come
out to be on the side of safety, or unless the
teeth clearly are so diseased that the likeli-
hood of their being a serious menace to
health is almost certainty.
copyright, 1920, by The Associated News
paperS)