Milford chronicle., 1930-08-22
Startling Facts Were Re-
vealed By Medical In
spectiOn In Sussex.

In the medical inspection of
school children in Sussex county for
the year 1928-1929, there are some
startling facts to which every per-
son should give attentive cOnsidera-
tion. One of these facts is that out
of two thousand two hundred thir-
teen children examined, forty-seven
to forty-eight in every hundred have
defective teeth. While the school
medical inspection showed that
about 1870 of the children suffered
from defective teeth, no doubt the
more thorough examination which a
dentist could give, would show even
larger number with poor teeth.
Just what is the meaning of such
a report? Do poor teeth, in any way,
affect the health of the child and of
the adult?
The mouth is the beginning of the
digestive tract. The teeth are plac-
ed there for a special purpose. The
front teeth, with their sharp edges,
are to bite off bits of food when we
eat. The back ones, with their broad
surfaces, are to grind the food into
small particles. In the process OF
grinding, the food is mixed with the
saliva which contains a digestive
substance which starts the digestion
of starchy foods. Thus, when the
food is swallowed, it is in proper
condition for completion of the di-
gestive process in the stomach and
intestines. If the teeth are poorly
shaped so that they do not grind
well or if they have been pulled out,
the result is that your digestion and
nutrition are interfered with. This
means that you do not get the best
return from the food you eat and
your body will not be in quite as
good physical condition as it should
be. This is especially serious for
the child since he needs to get the
best return from his food that he
may build a strong body.
Furthermore, if the teeth are de-
cayed, you suffer from toothache
which is one of the most frequent
causes of absence from school. This, |
in turn, means that school progress |
is interfered with and helps to add |
to the cost of the repeater.
Also, the teeth and mouth may be |
a source of infection for the whole |
body. Decayed or abscessed teeth or
gums furnish an ideal
place for bacteria to lodge and in
crease in number. Poisons from
these sources get into the stomach
and intestines and interfere with
the digestion and use of food. These
poisons may, also, get into the
blood stream and may be a contrl-
buting factor, either in childhood or
adult life, in a number of serious in
fictitious diseases, such as diseases Of
the heart, blood, kidney and joints.
Any poison in the system naturally
lowers ones resistance to communi-
cable and other diseases.
Since poor teeth affect the health
so much Through impaired diges-
tion and use of food, or through
poisons from diseased teeth or
gums) what can or should be done?
First, visit a reliable dentist, have
.he teeth thoroughly cleaned and all
cavities filled.
Second, keep the teeth clean by
laily brushing with common table
salt and rinsing the mouth with a
of baking soda. Always,
brush teeth before going to bed at
light.
Third, eat the foods every day that
will provide the material to build
and maintain good teeth. Such diet
a quart of milk day for
he child, an egg a day or every
1ther day, two vegetables each day
besides potatoes, some leafy vege-
ables and tomatoes three or four
lines a week, some fruit each day,
some uncooked fruit or vegetable
each day, dark bread and whole
grain breakfast foods, little or no
,andy and that taken at the end of
he meal, less cake and pie and rich
pastries. Such a diet would insure
)etter general health as we'll as
better tooth and mouth conditions.