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Teeth.
88 Annual Report of the London County Council. 1914.

The percentages in column 3 are much higher than the combined head and body percentages of
the present year. Although it is to be deplored that even now the heads of only 67 per cent. of the girls are
completely free from traces of vermin, it must be remembered that the percentages which were found
clean in the early days of medical Work in the schools ten to twelve years ago, were very much lower;
so that instead of 67 per cent. being clean there were in those days over 67 per cent. verminous.
Condition
as regards
nutrition.
In 1912 the condition of children inspected was for two terms classified as good, fair and poor,
but in the third term a classification into four groups was adopted in order to conform with the schedule
of the Board of Education. In the following table the two groups 3 and 4 have been combined
in order to afford a basis of comparison over the three years.
Entrants. 8-9. Leavers.
Good. Fair. Poor. Good. Fair. Poor. Good. Fair. Poor.
Boys, 1914 31.2 60.7 8.1 19.9 70.1 10.0 26.4 61.1 12.5
, 1913 30.7 58.5 10.8 22.0 62.2 15.8 26.4 58.9 14.7
„ 1912 40.9 51.3 7.8 26.6 58.4 15.0 35.6 56.0 8.4
Girls, 1914 32.2 60.6 7.2 22.8 68.2 9.0 29.9 58.6 11.5
„ 1913 32.7 57.5 9.8 25.1 61.4 13.5 30.6 55.1 14.3
„ 1912 43.1 50.3 6.6 30.6 56.5 12.9 39.2 53.2 7.6
It is doubtful, however, how far the comparison will hold as the alteration in classification has
probably made a difference to the numbers placed in the fair or average group. It will be seen that in
the year 1914, exactly one per cent. more boys than girls were placed in the subnormal group at all
three ages. Infants show a better result than either of the other groups, and the intermediate age
a better result than the leaver group. A critical examination of the returns of malnutrition for varying
age groups and varying districts, produces results which are often perplexing. There are undoubtedly
many obscure factors in the production of subnormal nutrition which are not yet fully worked out.
There is no doubt a seasonal influence, thus it is known that in the spring, children remain almost
stationary in weight while they are increasing in height, and it is therefore probable that any particular
group examined in the spring term would show an excessive degree of malnutrition, just as nervous
disorders such as chorea are more prevalent at this season of the year. Again, there is an age factor.
During certain years growth in height is much more rapid than in the years which precede or follow,
and many observers have noted the tendency to loss of energy and tone at these periods of growth.
In a study of the causation of malnutrition made last year, it was shown that rapid growth as a
cause was confined to the leaver group amongst school children.

It is seen that there is no great difference in the sexes in regard to teeth, except that older boys
have a rather higher percentage of septic mouths (9.2 per cent.) than older girls (7.7 per cent.), due
possibly to greater attention to dental hygiene in the girls' schools. It is probable that the numbers
classed as healthy (column 1) are somewhat flattering, as a more prolonged inspection, such as is made
by the inspecting dentists, reveals a larger amount of dental caries. The tendency to reduction in the
percentages of unhealthy mouths at the older ages is possibly due to the greater attention paid to dental
disease and the greater facilities now being provided by the Council for dental treatment.