Ka Puuhonua o na Hawaii, Volume IV, Number 5, 2 February 1917 — TAKE CARE OF THE TEETH. [ARTICLE]

TAKE CARE OF THE TEETH.

i Brusniaf?. ihe teeth a£ter ea.eh seeing , that the Leelh sre keptj;eriecty sanitary and in good condition is. an epoeh- making reform in s our homes, public-schoo's, bo )rding-schoo!s and ,coiiege.s icd iy. Very iew realize the extent of :tiie hami ciused by d?fectiva and unsanitary i teeth. Bad odor from the mouth is due, not ,j only to biti stom£ch, but to unsanitary and derfective leelh bctween whieh are decaying foodiSLuifs. Oli.-dcj v b'ojd-poison or the poisoning of j the entire body thru the stomach, or, stomach-dis | order is tr«ceab[e 4 o d3cayed teeth. The brownj.yeiiow, , and sometimes biack £ccummuldtiots. jaround.the base of the teethloauia fowl cdor, ,|and thfty invite troub!e for the gum and for the I teetii. . ■ 1 The teeth need just as mueh care and attention j.as the otber parts of the body, and they should , be kept perfec.t!y elean and sanitary by brushing them \vith suitable powder or paste, immediate!y after eaeh meal, and immediateiy after rising in th#' morning. Charcbal, chewed \yell, makes a go;:d purifier for saliva breath and , stomach, and keeps the tefcth in pure condition. , By carefully scraping the base cf the teeth with the sharp poini ©f a small pocket knife, thei |black, dirty and filr.hy accummulations can bej easiiy removed, thUs keeping the enamel of the' teeth br;ght and pear!y. A elean set of teeth is a;great asset to oi.ie's.person, and it shou!d never beneglected. To get into the good habit of brushtng the t.eeth every mornit!g and after eaeh meal is to learn or.e of the essential e'ements of gOod hea!thy living, i Perpahs there is no class of people that suf fers §o kecnly the mjtjries of dec3yed and unsa,ni|tsry teeth asthe chi!dren. Mothers, fathers, and schoot teachers wonder at tiihes why their chiidren are stupid, fretful, pale etc. Other things being equal, the teeth plays a big pārt in the disturbances suffered by the children. Every ome , every public school and every teacher in the Territory should be urged to wage a| Gampaign of teeth protection among the ehi!dren i under their care. The children's teeth should be | examined regu!erly every day, aftd every child \ shou!d be taught how to use the tooth brush after eaeh meal eaeh day until he establishes the habit. The brushes, after being used, shou!d be put ia a thick!y sa!ted water and then put out in the sun to dry. The stanling resu!ts oī Dr. Patterson*s investigation of 8,117 school children inHonolulu and whieh are reproduced below, should stirr Uie pubhc to the importance of the subject. Of the total number of the children examined, 5,111 or |62.8 per cent of the total number of pupils were f found injured bv defective teeth. The classiificition by nationality is as follows: 1 .OW or -:9 8 per ront of tccth dofoott Cnmosi> »>4l " !?-> *• «« « „ ! 9,"9 «« 19.1 «' « " -t4 <' Part-Hiv\vrtiit\n 779 4< 16 2 " » Hawaiian 887 " 0.0 - «» « «« Koi'oan Sp;inish st -u Porto Rican ■ «>-Q " Filipino ' !- 0;!-.,. r ' " 070" ' .. « u ~j!