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The Dental Auxiliary carried out certain treatment for the
under-fives, and has had the opportunity of talking to groups of mothers
at mothercraft, ante-natal and toddlers' clinics, devoting 10% of her
time to the priority classes. The need for dental health education
is still great, as the incidence of dental disease is much too high.
The simple lesson of caries control learnt by wartime conditions is
forgotten or disregarded, and prosperity has contributed to the daily
over-indulgence in harmful foods. Our aim • is to promote "tooth
consciousness"., particularly in the preventive field of diet and oral
hygiene and to encourage the early and regular inspection of young
children by dental surgeons, so that individual advice can be given,
and where necessary, defects remedied before they have deteriorated
to cause pain and loss of function.
It is hoped that the fluoridation of water supplies will not be
long delayed, such a measure being of proven value in the fight against
dental caries, and the benefit therefrom being first apparent in the
young child.