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Show Dental Hygiene S3 The Road to Health By DR. R. ALLEN GRIFFITH THE SIXTH-YEAR MOLAR THE first permanent teeth to erupt In the mouth are called the "sixth-year molars" because they come In during the sixth year. They also might be called the most Important teeth In the mouth. These teeth are of the utmost Importance, Im-portance, as they preaent a large masticating surface, and if permanently perma-nently lost, always cause a collapse of the dental arch and frequently cause the face to be contracted. To the orthodontist (a dentist who straightens teeth) they are the key to the arch. By looking at their occlusion he Is able to determine If the jaws are In their proper relation rela-tion to each other. The premature loss of these teeth la a calamity to any Individual and they should be watched with jealous jeal-ous care. They come In during the most Irresponsible period of childhood, child-hood, and no child of that age can be expected to pay any attention to the care of these Important teeth without the watchful guidance of the parent. If you care for the preservation of your child's health, there Is every reason In the world why the baby teeth should receive as much care and attention to the permanent teeth. " There Is no possible excuse, do reason under the sun why either the baby teeth or the sixth-year sixth-year molars should be neglected. The baby teeth are easily forgotten by the child where they are so healthy and clean that they are lost In the natural way. If properly cared for they are lost ag nature Intended. In-tended. They are not so easily forgotten for-gotten by the child when they are allowed to become a jagged, broken, decayed and abscessed lot and are lost through pain and sleeplessness. The nncleanllness of the baby teeth Is surely transferred to the sixth-year molars, and the memory of pain endured and the physical scars will be carried through life. A child whose teeth are allowed to go to wreck and ruin through Ignorance Ig-norance or neglect on the part of parents, who are responsible for both hls1 mental and physical welfare, wel-fare, has every right to hold them responsible for his suffering. The baby teeth should remain as white and sound as little pearls. It Is absolutely criminal for parents to neglect these. OUR DUTY WHEN all Is said and done, health is the greatest asset that a human being can possess. There are many other things thnt are conducive to happiness, but they sink Into second place when we think of a diseased or crippled body. Most any physician who was on the draft board during the World war, will tell you of the large number num-ber of young men who were physically physi-cally unfit to be classed as A-l men, and they will also tell you that most of these physical defects could have been prevented or eradicated In youth. These are the school children chil-dren of today. Our schools are wasting enormous sums in educating, or trying to educate, edu-cate, the children who are handicapped handi-capped by 111 health, when the expenditure ex-penditure of much smaller amounts In a Judicious health program would produce an enormous saving In economy econ-omy and efficiency. A dollar spent promptly In a timely, constructive effort to conserve a child's health will be more fruitful for the child and for human society than will a thousand dollars applied twenty years later. Better than 90 per cent 24.000.-000 24.000.-000 of our school dilldren have defective de-fective teeth, and all defective teeth are Injurious to health. Some of these defective teeth are deadly menaces to their owners. Seventy-flve per cent 17,000.000 of the school children of the United States have physical defects which are potentially or actually detrimental detri-mental to health. One of the most appalling revelations revela-tions of recent years Is the conclusion con-clusion based on unrefuted evidence evi-dence that the rural school children of the country are handicapped by more physical defects than pupils in city schools. While several significant sig-nificant causes seem to be responsible respon-sible for this condition, the present pres-ent Inferiority of country children depends In part upon the fact that city children receive more health care than those In rural regions. Where an Intensive study of mouth conditions has been carried out, It has been proved that dental attention alone will cure at least 50 per cent of the other troubles. Most of the original heart troubles, glandular diseases, malnutrition and tuberculosis are caused by defective teeth. It has been said that If all the dentifts In the United States were sent to New York, they could not adequately care for the persons with defective teeth In that city. While all these facts are well known, doesn't It seem as If a little lit-tle money should be spent upon the physical as well as the men'al welfare of the children In our schools? C WMUrn Newspaper Union. |