Iron County Record | 1955-01-20 | Page 4 | National Figures Reveal Need for Education Concerning Dental Affliction in Children

National Figures Reveal Need for Education Concerning Dental Affliction in Children (It Is Ironic that a nation that offers the best In dental science should have an appalling dental disease rate. In observance of National Children's Dental' Health Week, Feb. 7 to 13, the iron county Record, in cooperation coopera-tion with the Southern Utah Dental Den-tal Society, today begins a series of articles on how parents can best help their children to overcome over-come one of the most common afflictions of mankind.) If your child follows the usual pattern, he may well be a dental den-tal cripple by the time he Is in his 40s. There Is little or no excuse for this prospect. But the fact is, according ac-cording to recent studies, that the average Individual, by the time he is 41, is likely to have 19 missing, miss-ing, decayed or filled teeth. "The loss of permanent teeth In children and young adults is shocking," one noted dental scientist sci-entist reported. "It Is estimated that 40 per cent of our children have had at least one permanent tooth extracted by the age of 14; that at age 3ii, one-quarter to one-half of the population has or should have artificial, dentures." Dental disease affects most of us at some time. The pain, annoyance an-noyance and even facial disfigurement disfig-urement of dental decay, for Instance, In-stance, affects 90 to 95 per cent of the population. The situation is tragic. It Is tragic because the knowledge Is; at hand to control and prevent this most common ailment of mankind. Dentists are egreed that the most effective approach to the 'nation's dental disease problem lies in instilling the righf kind of dental health habits In our children early in life and in mak ing available to them sound pre- t ventlve measures. The responsibility Is that of parents and teachers and others concerned, with the welfare of our children. Proper attention to teeth in childhood pays the most striking strik-ing dividends In terms of lifelong life-long dental health.