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106
16. Weight at birth said to be 7 lbs. 12 ozs.—weight at 1 month 6 lbs. 5½ ozs.
—on milk feed with cod liver oil from 1 month—no teeth at 8 months—
weight 14 lbs. 11 ozs.—Radiostoleum—no teeth at 10 months—weight
16 lbs. 4 ozs.—3 teeth at 13 months weight 18 lbs.—overactive child—
1£ pints milk daily—does not eat much solid food—12 teeth at 24 months
—weight 21 lbs. 5 ozs.
Ultra violet ray treatment commenced—14 teeth at 28 months—weight
22 lbs. 14£ ozs.—recurring otorrhoea for 6 months—16 teeth at 31 months
weight 22 lbs. 11½ ozs.—18 teeth at 33 months—weight 23 lbs.
14 ozs.
These cases cannot be classified. In some one would expect to find
delayed dentition, e.g., in No. 15, where the general progress of the child
had been poor; in No. 2, where the diet had been unsatisfactory; in No. 7
(pneumonia at 3 months) where a general illness had occurred in the first
twelve months. In others there was no apparent cause for the delayed
dentition, e.g., breast fed children who had made good progress in other
respects and who had no other obvious signs or symptoms of rickets. An
-attempt will be made to examine the teeth of these children before they
reach school age to find out if delayed dentition is associated with a greater
amount of dental caries than is met with in the average child of 5 years in
the area.
As regards the effect of ultra violet radiation, it is difficult to be dogmatic.
The records show that the rate of eruption of teeth was accelerated
while ultra violet radiation was continued. Case No. 6 is particularly
interesting in that the child cut the first three teeth between 10-12 months.
Ultraviolet radiation was commenced at 12 months, and four teeth appeared
in the next two months. At that point the child developed whooping cough,
which interrupted treatment for eight weeks and in that time only one
tooth erupted. Treatment was recommenced at 16 months, and in the
following five months eight teeth appeared, making a total of sixteen teeth
at 21 months. Thus the rate of eruption was definitely greater while the
child was having ultra violet radiation. On the other hand it may be argued
that the occurrence of a general systemic disease was a more important
factor in modifying the eruption of the teeth than the temporary cessation
of ultra violet radiation.
Two cases, in which the children did not attend regularly, illustrate
the danger of attributing improvement categorically to any form of treatment
which may have been instituted. One was a child who had cut twelve
teeth at 18 months. He did not cut any teeth between 18 months and
2 years in spite of having received Radiostoleum from 20-24 months. At
2 years the mother was advised to stop Radiostoleum and take the child
for ultra violet ray treatment instead. He was seen two months later,
but it was found that he had made only one attendance at the ultra violet
light clinic ; but in these two months he had cut four teeth and one month
later he had cut another two, making 18 teeth at 27 months. The second
case was a child who had 3 teeth at 12 months and 6 teeth at 14 months.
She refused cod liver oil. Ultra violet radiation was advised at 14 months,
but three attendances only were made, yet two months later that child