PAPERS OX MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 303 



TEETH 



The dental examination revealed that every third man 

 examined had defective teeth. In most instances these 

 defects were only slight cavities requiring filling. In a 

 few cases a number of teeth had been lost and conse- 

 quent facial asymmetry was present. The findings of the 

 dentist emphasize the importance of the care of the teeth 

 to insure proper alignment of the permanent set. It is 

 indeed a rare thing to find perfect teeth in high school 

 graduates. Most of them give their teeth proper atten- 

 tion; a very <mall per cent are careless of their oral 

 hygiene. 



AYhile dental caries is primarily due to bacteria of the 

 mouth acting in the presence of food debris and to cer- 

 tain elements in the saliva which lead to the formation of 

 acid Avhich attacks the enamel, many other factors are 

 predisposing causes. The teeth may have little resistance 

 to decay because of developmental defect, faulty diet, 

 neglect as result of ignorance of parents, cost or lack of 

 dental facilities so common in rural communities. 



The ill effects of carious or defective teeth reach be- 

 yond the mouth. Decayed teeth may prove the gateway 

 through which pathogenic 'bacteria reach the blood 

 stream and a root abscess may be the source of arthritis, 

 valvular heart lesions or Bright 's disease. Poor teeth 

 are often the cause of indigestion and improper assimila- 

 tion of food. 



"With the exception of certain professions and a few in- 

 dividuals in whom the sense of the cosmetic is highly de- 

 veloped, the majority of men and women do not seek their 

 fortune through their faces. The average man or woman, 

 however, desires a symmetrical face. Yet, few parents 

 give sufficient attention to their children's first set of 

 teeth to prevent asymmetry by insuring proper align- 

 ment of the permanent set. 



GOITER 



Thirty-one and eight-tenths per cent of the women and 



r cent of the men high school graduates showed some 



enlargement of the thyroid gland, when examined in the 



