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Ideally all expectant and nursing mothers should routinely attend their family dentist
and, whilst this is so in many cases, there are many others who do not do so. The personal
dental health of mothers during and after pregnancy is vitally important and the need to
consider the developing teeth of the unborn child must be understood both by mothers and their
ante-natal advisers. The fact that our dental clinics will in future be open to mothers at
all times should ensure that those referred by clinic staff for dental examination during
pregnancy will find it easy to attend.
Before and after the birth of their babies, mothers must continually be made to realise
how they can protect and properly care for their children's teeth and gums. It is equally
important for all concerned to understand the need to take children to the dentist regularly
from before their second birthday. In establishing a pattern at this early age, the young
child can easily accept the dentist and his environment, and fear need never develop. Far
better that the child's first visit should merely include simple rides in a dental chair and
the polishing of teeth, than wait until dental decay has brought pain and discomfort which
will always be associated with the dentist. Advice on measures which can be used to prevent
dental disease and applications which can be made to the teeth to strengthen them against
decay will be made available at the same time.
The simple rules which clinic staff and parents can follow to help reduce dental disease
are as follows:
1. Avoid eating sweet and sticky drinks and foods, especially between meals.
2. Never give children undiluted blackcunantorange or similar vitamin syrups. These
are exceedingly harmful to teeth if taken from a spoon, bottle or miniature feeder.
3. Clean teeth immediately after breakfast and supper.
4. Finish meals with a fibrous food such as apples, carrots and nuts, and then rinse
mouth with water.
5. Eat full meals at regular intervals throughout the day, but avoid between-meal snacks
and sweets whenever possible.
6. Eliminate sticky toffees and long-lasting sweets from the diet. It is not unreasonable
to allow children the occasional sweet but reasonable restrictions can make a
big difference.
The Service continues to meet the small demands made upon it. During 1967 Maternity and
Child Welfare Dental Sessions were held at Ida Samuel, Old Ford and Prunella Dental Clinics.
The overwhelming demands of the School Dental Service continue to occupy the great majority of
our Dental Officers' time and have precluded the stimulation of demand for treatment for the
pre-school child, important as this is known to be.
Examination of children's teeth in Nursery schools and in Toddlers' Clinics should be
commenced by the middle of next year and the appointment of three Dental Auxiliaries, anticipated
early in 1968, will increase our treatment potential, Dental Auxiliaries being particularly
trained to provide dental treatment in this age bracket.
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