THE DENTAL DANGER
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In your notes on the above danger you quote Sir George Newman, the late chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, describing dental decay " as one of the great diseases of modern times," and you emphasise various excellent safe- guards against it and remedies for it. In two typical house- holds this week at their evening meal I saw first a hungry boy, who had come in late, swallowing rapidly small round potatoes floating in broth. This required no teeth and he cared not whether his teeth were sound or not. In another at tea-time the whole family were enjoying soft, new white bread and but- ter. One boy was taking big bites, and with each bit a gulp of tea ; his sister, somewhat more refined, was sopping her bread and butter in her cup of tea ; in neither case would there be any use for teeth. I ventured to remind them that this would result in bad teeth later on, "Yes," said the mother; "I have just paid a shilling for my daughter who is at work to go to the dentist." As I came away another child was sucking a large round ball of sticky sweetness outside. We see this all day long in all the streets, where the sweetshops are almost as numerous as the tobacconists.
A county medical officer reports that of 7,300 children examined by school dentists between the ages of 12 and 18 only 101 had a complete set free from caries ; shall we say, not two per cent. ? In Italy, we are told, white bread must not be used.- We have many things to teach children now in the way of healthy activities, even to breathing properly. Could not our Board of Education, which is closely related to our Health Ministry, endeavour to spread a knowledge of how to eat at -meal times and not to suck sweets in other times ?
-These old-fashioned ideas have saved one family from many dental troubles and from other evils dependent on them.—
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