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to the use of unsuitable food, especially in infancy and early
childhood. The matter lies beyond the purview of the school
doctor at present, and we can only hope that increasing
knowledge of hygiene amongst parents will lead to improvement.
Dental Condition of School Children.—Of the children
examined during the year, 62 per cent, showed from
one to six decayed teeth, 3.5 per cent. had more than six
decayed teeth, being a total of 1,963, or 65.5 per cent.,
having decayed teeth, and only 34.5 per cent. of the children
had no decayed teeth.
The growing child is specially prone to show the evil
effects of dental caries, the most constant being slight
degrees of debility and anaemia, followed by disturbances of
digestion and impairment of nutrition. Should the caries
progress sufficiently to destroy the whole or part of the tooth,
the sufficient mastication of the food may be impossible, and
the food is in consequence digested with difficulty. Lastly,
toothache may be present. This is often a source of much
misery to the child. The remembrance of a decayed tooth is
offen one of the earliest and most vivid that the adult retains
through life.
The predisposing factors of dental caries are twofold :
defective enamel of the tooth and the presence of decomposing
food on the surface of the enamel. The latter factor can
be minimised in importance by the use of the tooth brush.
Defective enamel is the heritage of ill-health in early infancy
—a matter that is beyond the purview of the School Medical
Officer at present.
The most easily carried out methods for preventing the
onset of dental caries are the daily use of a tooth brush and
the eating of fruit, such as apples, that have a cleansing
action on the teeth. Early treatment of the condition by