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81
All the schools were revisited some weeks after the inspection
in order to ascertain what had been done in the case
of those children on whose behalf parents had been instructed
to obtain advice.
Of the 169 referred to, 60 had left school, thus leaving
109 remaining at school.
Of these 25 had received treatment and 84 had not; 77
of the latter being for defective teeth ; 7 home visits were made,
6 on account of children with defective vision, and 1 on account
of adenoids. The parents promised to attend to the
matter in 3 instances, and in 4 instances they were indifferent.
No homes were visited on account of children with
defective teeth. In future it is proposed to forward a copy of
the subjoined circular to the parents of children whose teeth
require attention:—
The Importance of Attending to the Tebth in Early
Life.
1. Thorough brushing of the teeth at least once a day is
advisable. It is also essential that the mouth should be carefully
examined every few months and a dentist consulted
immediately anything is found wrong.
2. One decayed tooth often starts decay in others.
3. Decay is very liable to occur when the teeth are
crowded, and the removal of one or two will often save others.
4. The "stopping" of a tooth is a cheap and simple
matter when the hole is small and will in most cases save it
altogether, The importance of having a tooth stopped before
the hole gets large cannot be overrated.
5. Artificial teeth can never efficiently take the place of
real ones and the need for them would seldom arise if timely
attention were given to the mouth during youth.
6. It is generally in early youth that the damage is done;
not only are the teeth more likely to start "going" then, but
they "go" much more quickly than in after life.