Evening star., 1941-03-18
Plan Being Perfected
ToIncreaseC Care Of
Teeth Of Indigents
District Dental Society
And n. 5. A. CoIIoborote
On Expended Service

Increased dental care for persons
unable to pay for services of dentists
was believed to be near for certain
District residents following an
nouncement here yesterday of a
broadened plan for INDECENT dental
services to be sponsored jointly by
the District of Columbia Dental So
ciety and the Health Security Ad-
miniStration.
The proposed plan, which will in
crease facilities already offered here
was announced by DR.. Daniel r.
Lynch, president of the society. who
was speaker at a luncheon meeting
of the Council of Social Agencies
health division in the Y. w. c. A.
building.
Approval of the plan by the So
ciety will pave the way for denture
and other specialized dental work
to District residents financially un-
able to pay either in part or whole,
DR.. Lynch said Extraction and oral
treatment services have been avail
able in local clinics for some time,
but the new plan will offer more ex-
pensive treatment, he said.
Chest Funds Available.
Ross Garrett, director of the
Health Security Administration
pointed out today that funds have
been available through the Com
munity Chest this year for defraying
the cost of materials used under the
proposed plan by clinics and den-
fists.
The H. S. A., DR.. Lynch said,
would establish the existing need
and certify the patient to the clinic
or dentist under the proposal. He
said local dentists were willing to
take care of the INDECENT but first
wanted to be certain their patients
were unable to pay.
The society holds its next meeting
a week from today and full details
of the plan are expected to be sub
mitted to members for their action
then.
Mrs. William M. Sweet of the So
ciety's Women's Auxiliary an
nounced yesterday that her men,
bers had recently completed a sur
vey of clinics and hospitals offering
dental services. The report is ex-
pected to be of value to the society
and H. S. A, DR.. Lynch said, adding,
For the first time we have accurate
information on clinics"
Preschool Care Urged.
Urging that school dental clinics
be opened to children of preschool
age, Mrs. r. M. Graham of the
District Parent Teacher Association
said parents should be educated to
send their children to dentists regu-
larly and that dentists take "a more
unified" stand on the Importance
of caring for the teeth of young
people. She suggested that all chill
dren be examined before entering
school.
Approximately 80 per cent of chill
dren requiring dental care among
1,420 examined last year under
auspices of the PIT. A. never had
defects corrected, Mrs. Graham said
Either parents or the lack Of neigh
borhood facilities was to blame for
this condition, she asserted. Point
ing out the high incidence of bad
teeth, Mrs. Graham said that 39.s
per cent Of the 1,420 examined had
some dental defect.
Randolph Bishop, executive secre-
tary of the National Dental Hygiene
Association and another speaker
declared that 50 per cent Of all per-
sons in the United States who can
afford dental services fail to 60 to
the dentist.
Other speakers included DR.. Frank
c. Cady of the United States Public
Health Service, and Robert Eaves
principal of Thomson School. George
st. John Perrott, chairman of the
council health division, presided at
the luncheon.