WELLINGTON: Some rather startling statements were made before the Education Commission today by a delegation from the Dental Conference regarding the condition of children's teeth. Mr Rishworth gave statistics of a recent inspection of schools in Auckland, which showed that out of 600 children 98 per cent had one or more bad teeth, while under 1 per cent cleaned their teeth. In many instances the children were so debilitated with the effect of bad teeth that their constitutions had permanently deteriorated beyond hope of restoration. Remedial measures dealing with the national evil were urgently needed, and in these the help of the school master must be enlisted.
At present the dental profession did not get assistance from teachers. He was inclined to believe that boys' teeth were on the whole better than girls'.
The state of teeth described was not common to Auckland, but prevailed throughout the Dominion. He would be surprised if the proportion of decayed teeth was not well over 90 per cent.
Dr Pickerill said that the motto "Mens sana in corpore sano" might very well be reduced to "Dens sana mens sana" - sound teeth sound mind - for the health of teeth was necessary to the health of the child. It was a remarkable thing, but investigations in older countries had gone to show that the children with the most healthy mouths usually surpassed the rest of their less fortunate fellows in school work. It had been found that efficiency in this respect increased from 60 to 70 per cent where remedial measures were carried out in time with children with carious teeth. "When I came here some five years ago," said the professor, "I found the condition of teeth in this country simply appalling in the universality of decay. The extent of dental disease in this country, especially among children, is absolutely astounding. I do not think I have seen a single child in this country with a perfectly healthy mouth of teeth. The alarming prevalence of this condition of carious teeth among children constitutes a very serious loss to the efficiency of the country as a whole. It has been estimated at a quarter of a million a year."
In answer to questions by different members of the commission, Dr Pickerill stated that he attributed the cause of the disease largely to faults in the diet customary in New Zealand, to the over-use of starchy, soppy food, and the under-use of vegetables and fruit.
He had been simply astounded at the use made generally in New Zealand of vegetables. There were, of course concomitant causes, but diet was the chief reason. For instance, the people of Australia were the greatest meat eaters in the world. The people who had the least meat and generally lived on the vegetable diet showed the least prevalence of caries - notably some of the peoples of Asia.
• A movement to procure two swimming baths for the city and suburban schools was given a definite start at the meeting of the Education Board yesterday morning. The Chief Inspector, Mr Richardson, submitted cost would be about 4000, and he suggested that the Minister of Education should be waited upon with the request for a subsidy and that the co-operation of the Dunedin and Suburban School Committees' Association should be sought. The board was unanimously in sympathy with the proposal and passed a resolution endorsing the idea, and inviting the co-operation of the School Committees' Association. In the course of the discussion on the point, Mr Israel mentioned that teachers were heartily in sympathy with the idea of teaching swimming. - ODT, 19.7.1912
