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101
COUNTY BOROUGH OF CROYDON.
CHILDREN'S TEETH.
1. The Teeth must be kept clean.
2. Use a small tooth-brush with stiff bristles. Use a little
soap or some precipitated chalk.
3. Brush all the teeth thoroughly, especially the back
ones. Brush all surfaces of the teeth.
4. Clean the teeth immediately before going to bed.
Take no food of any sort afterwards. Clean the teeth again in
the morning.
5. Clean teeth do not decay.
6. If the food is too soft it is apt to cling about the teeth
where it decays and damages the teeth. Chewing not only
helps to digest the food but keeps the teeth clean.
7. Decayed teeth should receive attention as they give
rise to indigestion and other troubles. Decayed temporary teeth
may injure the permanent set.
8. Improperly fed infants are apt to have bad teeth.
, Study the handbill on infant feeding.
The need for securing dental treatment for school children
is referred to in a subsequent paragraph of this report.
DISEASES OF THE LUNG.-In no instance was tuberculous
disease of the lungs diagnosed at the medical inspections, though a
considerable number of children suffering from consumption but not
attending school are known to the department. This is a matter of
considerable importance upon which I propose reporting further at an
early date. In the meantime two outstanding facts should be borne
in mind. First the number of tuberculous children attending school
in such a condition as to endanger the infection of others is so small
that for practical purposes it may be considered negligible. Secondly
a large proportion of school children—both debilitated and otherwise
—are undoubtedly already infected with the germs of tuberculosis
and need to be placed under favourable conditions in order that the
disease may be prevented from developing. It is for this reason