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Lay Educational Activities of a District Dental Society
DEPARTMENT OF DENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION LAY EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF A DISTRICT DENTAL SOCIETY By F. DENTON WHITE, D.D.S., Minneapolis, Minnesota (Read before the American D ental Association, Louisville, Ky., Sept. 23, 1925)
L
AY education on all matters re lating to mouth health must come directly or indirectly from the dentist. T here are many ways of educating the public. W e have the schools, the newspapers, good health magazines, the radio, mouth health weeks, moving pic tures and various efforts which are not strictly dental society activities but which need the cooperation of dental societies, such as public health work, settlement house clinics and health con tests and exhibits at state and county fairs. T
he
Sc h o o l s
Here, in my opinion, is the field where we have the greatest opportunity to educate the children to the im portance of good teeth and good health, and how properly to care for the teeth. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, if you win cooperation of the child by leading him to understand the impor tance of a clean and healthy mouth, you will win the interest of the parents as well. As stated before, the parents can be educated through the children, and we must always remember that most of
these children will one day be parents, and the knowledge that they acquire in school will always remain with them. How often I have heard a parent say, “ W hat wouldn’t I give now if I had only been taught when a child in school the proper care and the importance of good teeth. I know I would have better teeth today.” T he Minneapolis District Dental Society, through its oral hygiene com mittee, has cooperated with the board of education at all times. At the time the board appointed a supervisor of oral hygiene, five years ago, the society made certain recommendations, which were adopted without a single change, the re sult being that Minneapolis has a wonderful and complete educational program in the public schools. Last year, we had four reparative clinics, and five prophylactic clinics, with six graduate dental nurses who did only educational work in the class rooms and examined the children from the kindergarten through the sixth grade. T he dental nurses examined 48,000 children in eighty-seven schools and checked each school, on an average, five times during the year. In all the schools, at the end
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of the year, we had an average of 45 per cent “good mouths.” I mean by that that every child either had a “ good” mouth at the first examination or had gone to his dentist and received a dental certificate from him stating that he had done all necessary work at that time. A good mouth means having the teeth clean and free from stains and deposits, with no cavities and no broken down teeth which could not be filled. W e, of course, could not take into consideration the matter of irregular teeth in these examinations. This work could not have been done at all without the co operation of every dentist, and the good results would not have been attained had not the dental society cooperated in every way. T o Miss Gladys Eyrich, of Jackson, Miss., belongs the credit for the in spiration which started the educational work in our schools, along the lines on which it is being conducted at the present time. Many of our ideas are what we received from the work she has been doing in the Jackson schools.
writing of these articles. T he presi dent of the society appointed an edi torial board whose duty it is to edit each article before submitting it to the edi tor of the newspaper, and the editor, in turn, edits the article so that it ap peals to the public, from the news paper’s point of view. T h e public today is eager to obtain reliable infor mation regarding teeth and their relation to general health. I am sure that, next to the radio, the newspaper reaches the greatest number o f homes. How many read these mouth health articles no one can determine, but from the number of people who write in, asking questions, I am sure a great many do. At the present time, the society is selling the mouth health articles to other societies, and are also publishing them in booklet form to sell to dentists for distribution to patients or for use in their offices. I f any of you are inter ested in this work, you can write me or the secretary o f our society, and we will gladly give you more detailed inform a tion.
T H E N E W SP A P E R S
H E A L T H M A G A Z IN E S
A great amount of the right infor mation can be given the public through the newspapers, provided it is written in popular form so that the people will read it, and also so that it can be under stood. Along with this, the matter of questions and answers to inquiries helps to a great extent. T he Minneapolis District Dental Society began such a campaign May 18, 1924, having an article appear in each Sunday edition since that time. One of our leading newspapers donated space equal to a column each week and the society pays to have the articles written. W e be lieved it was out of the question to ask busy dentists to donate their time to the
W e should use our influence in en couraging our patients to read good health magazines, and discourage the reading of inferior ones, which seem to have a large circulation. Some people enjoy reading articles of this kind written in a sensational style. Good health magazines should be on our reception room tables at all times, and we should encourage our patients to subscribe for them also. T w o good health magazines are “H y g e i a which is published monthly by the American Medical Association and costs only $3.00 a year. T he other is the N orthwestern Health Journal, which is published monthly by the
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The Journal of the American Dental Association
Minnesota Public Health Association, of St. Paul. This magazine costs but 50 cents a year. Many of our members are cooper ating with the N orthwestern Health Jou rn al by writing for it on subjects concerning which they feel the public should be enlightened. T h e Journal, in turn, has given us valuable assistance for the advancement of our work. T hey have offered to aid us financially in the carrying on of our radio work. W hat a splendid opportunity fo r any society when such organizations as the Minnesota Public Health Association are willing to cooperate as they are with us. W e should encourage this all we can. HEALTH
W EEKS
Most o f you are fam iliar with this phase o f the work, so I will not take the time to describe it and how it can be conducted. I firmly believe in Health Weeks and Health Days, and it is my opinion that they should be con ducted in all sections o f the country each year. T h e Minneapolis District Dental Society has conducted preven tive dental weeks for the last two years, and also assisted in a big health week which was put on by our local medical society. During our health weeks, we have had prize dental contests, talks by both physicians and dentists in the schools, moving pictures in the theaters and schools, exhibits in both store and drug store windows, a great deal of news paper publicity (one of our newspapers donating the money for the prizes), a preventive dental week supplement in one o f our Sunday newspapers and spe cial lessons on mouth health in the school classroom during the week, and 85,000 pamphlets on “ Good Teeth—
Good Health” were distributed to the school children. One year, we ended our week with a big mass meeting, the speakers being D r. Charles H. Mayo of Rochester, M inn., and D r. Wallace Seccombe of Toronto, Canada. About 4,000 attended the meeting. M O VIN G P IC T U R E S
Good moving pictures have fine edu cational possibilities when used with school work and at parent-teacher meet ings and mothers’ clubs and during health weeks. It goes without saying that we should be very careful in the selection of films which tend to adver tise some dental preparation or sponsor a certain method of brushing the teeth. W e have many good films and they should be used more extensively than they are at the present time. T he m at ter of cost has been reduced so that they are now within the reach of most or ganizations wishing to do this type of work. In Minneapolis, we have used both pictures and trailers to call atten tion to our health weeks, etc. VARIOUS E F FO R T S NOT ST R IC T L Y DEN T A L SO CIETY A C T IV IT IE S B U T NEEDIN G COO PERATIO N
O ur society has always cooperated in all public health work. W e have two members who are members of the Hennepin County Public Health Association, one being at the pres ent time vice president. W e have one member on the board o f directors o f the Hennepin County Tuberculosis Association. W e also have a city den tal clinic committee whose duty it is to cooperate and assist with the various outside agencies and settlement house clinics in their clinical and educational work. W e have cooperated with the Minnesota State O ral Hygiene Com
Department of Dental Health Education
mittee in their work, and more espe cially with its activities at the state fair. Here, the state committee conducts a prize dental contest and a dental health exhibit. T H E RADIO
T he radio as a means of education is in its infancy. It has wonderful pos sibilities, if the educational features are conducted properly. W e can broadcast material suitable for adults, and we can
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known as the Court of Gold Medal. This work, up to June, has been con ducted by the Minneapolis and St. Paul district societies. At the present time, it is being conducted by the Minnesota State Dental Society, and is under the direction of the O ral Hygiene Com mittee. The Court of Gold Medal is very much of a reality to the children who listen in. W e have characters who are
Fig\ 1.— Certificate awarded by Court of Gold Medal.
form children’s clubs, through which both the children and the society can broadcast programs consisting of ma terial along both dental and general .health lines. T his serves two purposes: (1 ) it is interesting to the children, and they unconsciously become edu cated in mouth health; and (2 ) infor mation is disseminated to those who listen in. W e have a children’s hour every F ri day evening from 5:30 until 6:00 o’clock, over the Gold Medal Station, W C C O , St. Paul-Minneapolis, and a health club has been formed which is
the rulers of the Court, such as King HyGene, and Queen Health. W e have the Councellor of the Court, whose duty it is to preside over each session and at tend to all matters pertaining to the ar ranging and broadcasting of programs, writing letters to the members, etc. There are three stages of membership and each stage requires that the child live up to certain health rules. T he first stage is that of a Subject, the sec ond, a Page or Maiden, and the third, a Knight or Lady. W hen a child writes in asking to become a Subject, we send him a certificate o f member
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ship with one gold seal on it, together with the complete rules and regulations of the Court of Gold Medal as well as a letter which explains more fully what is expected of each member. As each child advances, he receives a gold seal for every stage until he has three. T he rules and regulations of the Court of Gold Medal, which is governed by King HyGene and Queen Health, are as follows: H ow
to
B ecom
e
a
Su b j e c t
Any child is eligible to become a Subject of the Court of Gold Medal on agreeing to observe the rules of a Subject: Brush the teeth every day. Sleep with windows open. H ow t o B e c o m e a P a g e o r M a i d e n If the Subject observes these rules and agrees also to live up to the rules required to become a Page or Maiden, he will so advise K ing HyGene, and the parent or parents of the Subject must also notify the K ing that the Subject has lived up to the rules. As soon as the K ing is so notified, he w ill send to the boy a seal stating that the boy is now a Page, and if the Subject is a girl, he will send a seal showing she has become a Maiden of the Court. T he Page or Maiden w ill then attach the seal to the original certificate. A Page or Maiden of the Court o f Gold M edal is pledged to Visit the dentist at least every six months. D rink plenty of milk. D rink water often during the day. Chew food thoroughly and slowly. Be polite. H ow t o B e c o m e a K n i c h t o r L a d y • I f the Page or Maiden lives up to the rules and his or her parents so advise the King, there will then be sent a seal of K night or Lady, if the Page or Maiden agrees to live up to the rules laid down fo r these positions of trust and honor. T he K night or Lady will then attach the seal to the original certificate. A Knight or Lady of the Court o f Gold M edal is pledged to Do a good deed every day. E at at regular times. E at candy only after meals— never before. Be careful of personal appearance. H air well brushed and clean.
Face, neck, ears and eyes well cared for. Hands washed and nails cleaned before meals and at bed time. Clothes and shoes neat and tidy. Carry a clean handkerchief always, to be used when sneezing or coughing.
For next year, we have arranged that the boys and girls who have ad vanced to the stage of Knight or Lady in W aiting will be able to advance still farther and become Counts and Count esses. One of the requirements for this next stage will be that they have ten of their little friends join the Court of Gold Medal. Each school and each school room in Minneapolis and St. Paul that has reached 100 per cent in the matter of good teeth is allowed to “ tell the world about it” over the radio during one of the sessions of the Court. T o give you some idea o f our pro grams and the work that the children are doing, I will quote from an article which appeared in the Minneapolis Journal last Spring under the heading “ Kenwood Pupils Go on the Air T o night to T ell the W orld How They Acquired Perfect T eeth.” Three hundred and fifty boys and girls at Kenwood School washed and scrubbed their teeth a little harder than usual today, because tonight they will go on the air, to tell the w orld over WCCO how they raised their percentage o f perfect teeth 56 per cent in, ten months and became the third school in the city with 100 per cent teeth.
Every single tooth in the school is in perfect condition— graphs and certifi cates and medals and what not all over the schools walls testify to that. For months, the children have heard about teeth and health in assembly periods. T hey’ve watched their rooms rise and fall on the charts and today they were triumphant.
Department oj Dental Health Education
“T he children themselves are re sponsible for raising Kenwood’s per centage,” Miss Gladys McAlister, principal, said today. “T he children urge eszh other and they listen to their peers when they won’t listen to their teachers.” At 5:30 p. m., Junior Barnum will announce Kenwood’s teeth program. T he fifth and sixth grades will give “ Health Smiles;” Geraldine Berry,
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And then the children wrote acros tics like this one by Bessie Pils, 6A, to help them remember: T is fo r Teeth, the topic of my talk They help you as much as feet help you to walk E is fo r Eating which you cannot do W ithout good teeth to help you chew E is fo r Energy clean teeth will give You must keep them so if you want to live T is fo r Toothache which you will get I f you are careless and to brush them neglect
Fig. 2.— Pageant given by pupils representing the “ 100 per cent” rooms.
4-A grade, will give “ First Aid in Mike’s F am ily;” Lorraine Sager, 2B, just 7 years old, will give a violin solo; Ruth Confer, 3A, will tell how to keep well. A little playlet, “ Mother’s Hy giene Lesson,” written by Theron Love land, of the 6A grade, will be given; the fifth grade will give original health rhymes and jingles; Florence Lang of the 7A grade will give “ Kenwood Crusaders.” Jack Atwood, 2A, will give “ A Secret;” Mrs. Lillian Nippert Zelle will give a violin solo, accom panied by Mary Sue Zelle, 6 year old first grader.
H is fo r Health, and you must remember T o brush teeth in July as well as in December. Teeth is my whole, so shiny and white To keep them so, brush them morning, noon and night.
And then there was this one, also written by a 6A pupil from the same school: H is f.or Hygiene, King of our Court Where brushing our t.'eth is of great import. E is fo r Energy that clean teeth will give The cleaner we keep them, the longer we will live. A is fo r Ache which some of us get I f you don’t watch out you’ll get a false set.
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The Journal of the American Dental Association
L is fo r Lime which we get from m ilk Drink it and have teeth as fine as silk T is fo r Toothache that all children fear So go to the dentist at least twice a year. H is fo r Happiness, the greatest of treasures T o keep teeth clean is the greatest of pleasures. M y whole is Health, our good queen’s name. I f you w ant to be healthy, play the tooth game.
Usually each room makes up its program, and most o f their material is original, consisting of dental and health songs, poems and stories. As you will note, some o f the children have even written playlets, which have been broad cast at different times. O n the occa sion of our last session, June 12, we had a pageant in which about 125 chil dren took part. Each child was dressed in a costume which represented some thing pertaining to teeth or health. W e had a boy and girl from each 100 per cent room in Minneapolis and St. Paul. At this last session, we named one girl Lady in W aiting, and one boy Knight. These two children represented all the children in the Northwest who had lived up to the rules and were entitled to receive these honors. W e will continue with the broad casting o f our Court of Gold Medal programs at the opening of school in September. W e thought it best to dis continue broadcasting during the sum mer months because so many o f the children were away from home, and if not away, would not care to listen in when they would much prefer to be out of doors at this hour. T h e radio, and especially the large stations, reaches a great many people. W e started our children’s Court of Gold Medal in December, 1924, and up to the time we closed for the sum mer months, we had between 12,000 and 14,000 members. These children
live in all parts of the Northwest and in Canada. W e are greatly indebted to Station, W C C O for their cooperation in making the work successful. They have done everything possible to make it so. T o you who are especially interested in society oral hygiene activities, I would say: Keep up the good work, doing all you can all of the time. Although you may be discouraged at times, you can not help doing some good to someone. DISCU SSIO N *
H . L. Banzhaf, M ilw aukee, Wis.: I want to congratulate D r. White and those members of the Minneapolis District Dental Society who are responsible fo r the novel and in genious methods that are being used to educate the children of that progressive me tropolis to the importance o f good teeth. The idea o f using the radio is most timely, as well as attractive and entertaining. If the fact that I am just past my ’teens does not bar me from applying as a subject, I hope that Dr. White w ill use his influence with the Court of Gold M edal to admit me. I do not believe I have ever heard o f anything more effective from the point of view o f child psychology. I quite agree that the prim ary school offers the greatest opportunity to educate the.public, not only because the children of today become the adults o f tomorrow, but also because through the children a large proportion of the parents may be won over. If each child is taught the necessity o f eating wholesome, nutritious food; if he is impressed with the importance o f keeping his mouth in a clean condition, and if he is compelled to pass fre quent mouth inspections, during the period of his attendance in the prim ary school, some of our problems with respect to education o f the public w ill eventually disappear. We have made great progress during the last decade as to how to preserve and repair the teeth of man. M any mouth disabilities and ab normalities have been relieved and prevented. Nevertheless, we still do not know why teeth decay and why abnormalities occur in some children and not in others. T h a t we are get• O th e r d is c u s s io n s o f th e p a p e rs o f D rs. W h ite a n d B u c k le y w ill b e p u b lis h e d w ith th e p a p e rs o f D r. H o llis te r a n d M iss S c h m id t in th e M a rc h issu e o f T H E JO U R N A L .
Department o f D ental H ealth Education ting away slowly from surface indications, and are beginning to realize that a biologic understanding is needed before we can make real progress in dental research, is a healthy sign. Until the truth respecting the cause of tooth decay is finally revealed, we must con tinue along lines pointed out by D r. W hite and other investigators who are studying the problem of child health. The rank and file o f the dental profession cannot be expected to assume the burden of the education o f the school children, because, if they did, it would take a m ajor p art of their time. T his w ork should be delegated to hygienists and dentists who are employed by the school authorities: the hygienists to teach in the class room and assume the re sponsibility fo r mouth cleanliness in the pupils under their charge; the dentists to supervise the work of the hygienists to take charge o f dental clinics fo r such indigent children as may be present in the schools. Our chief duty as a profession, as I see it, is to campaign fo r more school hygienists and more school dentists. When we succeed in proving to the public, our state legislatures, our county boards, our city councils and our school boards, that a few dollars spent fo r education as to the importance o f mouth cleanliness w ill result in a happier and healthier people and
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less necessity fo r other public institutions fo r the care o f the sick, and that it w ill mean an actual saving in dollars and cents— in taxes, then, and not until then, w ill we be on the way tow ard our goal. It has been pointed out again and again by students on this sub ject that diseased teeth, and infected tonsils and adenoids, are the direct cause fo r the fa il ure o f many children to be promoted each year. T h e saving affected by the elimination o f a large proportion o f these failures is in itself enough to pay fo r the additional cost of the instruction in health dentistry. As a profession, we should use all of the political influence that we can muster to put through a thorough program fo r dental education in the prim ary schools. We should also see to it that more attention is paid to the matter of teaching correct habits o f diet in the primary schools. W hile I am not optimistic in be lieving that we can ever induce all of our people to eat proper foods, I believe that we can at least reach the children in our schools. I was pleased to note that the rules fo r pro motion in the Gold M edal Court give some recognition to proper habits o f diet. D r. W hite’s paper is an im portant contribution to dental literature because it is fu ll o f prac tical thoughts. T h e suggestions th at he has given us are concrete enough so that we can all go home and try them out.
DENTAL EDUCATIONAL W O RK AMONG CIVIC GROUPS By JOHN P. BUCKLEY, Ph.G., D.D.S., F.A.C.D., Los Angeles, California (Read before the American Dental Association, Louisville, Ky., Sept. 23, 1925)
C C O R D IN G to the statements of prominent educators, one of the encouraging signs of the times lies in the fact that the great educa tional institutions of the country are fast coming to realize that, during the past decade, the trend o f higher educa tion has been too materialistic ; that natural science has taken precedence over social and moral science, and that they have been equipping too many stu
A
dents to go out into the world and win financial success, without impressing on them the age-old truth that when char acter is lost, all is lost. No one can dispute the fact that a generation lacking in character, what ever its material achievements, is a generation wasted. Students o f history are fully aware that all economic and industrial progress emanates from a moral or cultural impulse. W henever
L
AY education on all matters re lating to mouth health must come directly or indirectly from the dentist. T here are many ways of educating the public. W e have the schools, the newspapers, good health magazines, the radio, mouth health weeks, moving pic tures and various efforts which are not strictly dental society activities but which need the cooperation of dental societies, such as public health work, settlement house clinics and health con tests and exhibits at state and county fairs. T
he
Sc h o o l s
Here, in my opinion, is the field where we have the greatest opportunity to educate the children to the im portance of good teeth and good health, and how properly to care for the teeth. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, if you win cooperation of the child by leading him to understand the impor tance of a clean and healthy mouth, you will win the interest of the parents as well. As stated before, the parents can be educated through the children, and we must always remember that most of
these children will one day be parents, and the knowledge that they acquire in school will always remain with them. How often I have heard a parent say, “ W hat wouldn’t I give now if I had only been taught when a child in school the proper care and the importance of good teeth. I know I would have better teeth today.” T he Minneapolis District Dental Society, through its oral hygiene com mittee, has cooperated with the board of education at all times. At the time the board appointed a supervisor of oral hygiene, five years ago, the society made certain recommendations, which were adopted without a single change, the re sult being that Minneapolis has a wonderful and complete educational program in the public schools. Last year, we had four reparative clinics, and five prophylactic clinics, with six graduate dental nurses who did only educational work in the class rooms and examined the children from the kindergarten through the sixth grade. T he dental nurses examined 48,000 children in eighty-seven schools and checked each school, on an average, five times during the year. In all the schools, at the end
254
Department o f D ental H ealth Education
255
of the year, we had an average of 45 per cent “good mouths.” I mean by that that every child either had a “ good” mouth at the first examination or had gone to his dentist and received a dental certificate from him stating that he had done all necessary work at that time. A good mouth means having the teeth clean and free from stains and deposits, with no cavities and no broken down teeth which could not be filled. W e, of course, could not take into consideration the matter of irregular teeth in these examinations. This work could not have been done at all without the co operation of every dentist, and the good results would not have been attained had not the dental society cooperated in every way. T o Miss Gladys Eyrich, of Jackson, Miss., belongs the credit for the in spiration which started the educational work in our schools, along the lines on which it is being conducted at the present time. Many of our ideas are what we received from the work she has been doing in the Jackson schools.
writing of these articles. T he presi dent of the society appointed an edi torial board whose duty it is to edit each article before submitting it to the edi tor of the newspaper, and the editor, in turn, edits the article so that it ap peals to the public, from the news paper’s point of view. T h e public today is eager to obtain reliable infor mation regarding teeth and their relation to general health. I am sure that, next to the radio, the newspaper reaches the greatest number o f homes. How many read these mouth health articles no one can determine, but from the number of people who write in, asking questions, I am sure a great many do. At the present time, the society is selling the mouth health articles to other societies, and are also publishing them in booklet form to sell to dentists for distribution to patients or for use in their offices. I f any of you are inter ested in this work, you can write me or the secretary o f our society, and we will gladly give you more detailed inform a tion.
T H E N E W SP A P E R S
H E A L T H M A G A Z IN E S
A great amount of the right infor mation can be given the public through the newspapers, provided it is written in popular form so that the people will read it, and also so that it can be under stood. Along with this, the matter of questions and answers to inquiries helps to a great extent. T he Minneapolis District Dental Society began such a campaign May 18, 1924, having an article appear in each Sunday edition since that time. One of our leading newspapers donated space equal to a column each week and the society pays to have the articles written. W e be lieved it was out of the question to ask busy dentists to donate their time to the
W e should use our influence in en couraging our patients to read good health magazines, and discourage the reading of inferior ones, which seem to have a large circulation. Some people enjoy reading articles of this kind written in a sensational style. Good health magazines should be on our reception room tables at all times, and we should encourage our patients to subscribe for them also. T w o good health magazines are “H y g e i a which is published monthly by the American Medical Association and costs only $3.00 a year. T he other is the N orthwestern Health Journal, which is published monthly by the
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The Journal of the American Dental Association
Minnesota Public Health Association, of St. Paul. This magazine costs but 50 cents a year. Many of our members are cooper ating with the N orthwestern Health Jou rn al by writing for it on subjects concerning which they feel the public should be enlightened. T h e Journal, in turn, has given us valuable assistance for the advancement of our work. T hey have offered to aid us financially in the carrying on of our radio work. W hat a splendid opportunity fo r any society when such organizations as the Minnesota Public Health Association are willing to cooperate as they are with us. W e should encourage this all we can. HEALTH
W EEKS
Most o f you are fam iliar with this phase o f the work, so I will not take the time to describe it and how it can be conducted. I firmly believe in Health Weeks and Health Days, and it is my opinion that they should be con ducted in all sections o f the country each year. T h e Minneapolis District Dental Society has conducted preven tive dental weeks for the last two years, and also assisted in a big health week which was put on by our local medical society. During our health weeks, we have had prize dental contests, talks by both physicians and dentists in the schools, moving pictures in the theaters and schools, exhibits in both store and drug store windows, a great deal of news paper publicity (one of our newspapers donating the money for the prizes), a preventive dental week supplement in one o f our Sunday newspapers and spe cial lessons on mouth health in the school classroom during the week, and 85,000 pamphlets on “ Good Teeth—
Good Health” were distributed to the school children. One year, we ended our week with a big mass meeting, the speakers being D r. Charles H. Mayo of Rochester, M inn., and D r. Wallace Seccombe of Toronto, Canada. About 4,000 attended the meeting. M O VIN G P IC T U R E S
Good moving pictures have fine edu cational possibilities when used with school work and at parent-teacher meet ings and mothers’ clubs and during health weeks. It goes without saying that we should be very careful in the selection of films which tend to adver tise some dental preparation or sponsor a certain method of brushing the teeth. W e have many good films and they should be used more extensively than they are at the present time. T he m at ter of cost has been reduced so that they are now within the reach of most or ganizations wishing to do this type of work. In Minneapolis, we have used both pictures and trailers to call atten tion to our health weeks, etc. VARIOUS E F FO R T S NOT ST R IC T L Y DEN T A L SO CIETY A C T IV IT IE S B U T NEEDIN G COO PERATIO N
O ur society has always cooperated in all public health work. W e have two members who are members of the Hennepin County Public Health Association, one being at the pres ent time vice president. W e have one member on the board o f directors o f the Hennepin County Tuberculosis Association. W e also have a city den tal clinic committee whose duty it is to cooperate and assist with the various outside agencies and settlement house clinics in their clinical and educational work. W e have cooperated with the Minnesota State O ral Hygiene Com
Department of Dental Health Education
mittee in their work, and more espe cially with its activities at the state fair. Here, the state committee conducts a prize dental contest and a dental health exhibit. T H E RADIO
T he radio as a means of education is in its infancy. It has wonderful pos sibilities, if the educational features are conducted properly. W e can broadcast material suitable for adults, and we can
257
known as the Court of Gold Medal. This work, up to June, has been con ducted by the Minneapolis and St. Paul district societies. At the present time, it is being conducted by the Minnesota State Dental Society, and is under the direction of the O ral Hygiene Com mittee. The Court of Gold Medal is very much of a reality to the children who listen in. W e have characters who are
Fig\ 1.— Certificate awarded by Court of Gold Medal.
form children’s clubs, through which both the children and the society can broadcast programs consisting of ma terial along both dental and general .health lines. T his serves two purposes: (1 ) it is interesting to the children, and they unconsciously become edu cated in mouth health; and (2 ) infor mation is disseminated to those who listen in. W e have a children’s hour every F ri day evening from 5:30 until 6:00 o’clock, over the Gold Medal Station, W C C O , St. Paul-Minneapolis, and a health club has been formed which is
the rulers of the Court, such as King HyGene, and Queen Health. W e have the Councellor of the Court, whose duty it is to preside over each session and at tend to all matters pertaining to the ar ranging and broadcasting of programs, writing letters to the members, etc. There are three stages of membership and each stage requires that the child live up to certain health rules. T he first stage is that of a Subject, the sec ond, a Page or Maiden, and the third, a Knight or Lady. W hen a child writes in asking to become a Subject, we send him a certificate o f member
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ship with one gold seal on it, together with the complete rules and regulations of the Court of Gold Medal as well as a letter which explains more fully what is expected of each member. As each child advances, he receives a gold seal for every stage until he has three. T he rules and regulations of the Court of Gold Medal, which is governed by King HyGene and Queen Health, are as follows: H ow
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Any child is eligible to become a Subject of the Court of Gold Medal on agreeing to observe the rules of a Subject: Brush the teeth every day. Sleep with windows open. H ow t o B e c o m e a P a g e o r M a i d e n If the Subject observes these rules and agrees also to live up to the rules required to become a Page or Maiden, he will so advise K ing HyGene, and the parent or parents of the Subject must also notify the K ing that the Subject has lived up to the rules. As soon as the K ing is so notified, he w ill send to the boy a seal stating that the boy is now a Page, and if the Subject is a girl, he will send a seal showing she has become a Maiden of the Court. T he Page or Maiden w ill then attach the seal to the original certificate. A Page or Maiden of the Court o f Gold M edal is pledged to Visit the dentist at least every six months. D rink plenty of milk. D rink water often during the day. Chew food thoroughly and slowly. Be polite. H ow t o B e c o m e a K n i c h t o r L a d y • I f the Page or Maiden lives up to the rules and his or her parents so advise the King, there will then be sent a seal of K night or Lady, if the Page or Maiden agrees to live up to the rules laid down fo r these positions of trust and honor. T he K night or Lady will then attach the seal to the original certificate. A Knight or Lady of the Court o f Gold M edal is pledged to Do a good deed every day. E at at regular times. E at candy only after meals— never before. Be careful of personal appearance. H air well brushed and clean.
Face, neck, ears and eyes well cared for. Hands washed and nails cleaned before meals and at bed time. Clothes and shoes neat and tidy. Carry a clean handkerchief always, to be used when sneezing or coughing.
For next year, we have arranged that the boys and girls who have ad vanced to the stage of Knight or Lady in W aiting will be able to advance still farther and become Counts and Count esses. One of the requirements for this next stage will be that they have ten of their little friends join the Court of Gold Medal. Each school and each school room in Minneapolis and St. Paul that has reached 100 per cent in the matter of good teeth is allowed to “ tell the world about it” over the radio during one of the sessions of the Court. T o give you some idea o f our pro grams and the work that the children are doing, I will quote from an article which appeared in the Minneapolis Journal last Spring under the heading “ Kenwood Pupils Go on the Air T o night to T ell the W orld How They Acquired Perfect T eeth.” Three hundred and fifty boys and girls at Kenwood School washed and scrubbed their teeth a little harder than usual today, because tonight they will go on the air, to tell the w orld over WCCO how they raised their percentage o f perfect teeth 56 per cent in, ten months and became the third school in the city with 100 per cent teeth.
Every single tooth in the school is in perfect condition— graphs and certifi cates and medals and what not all over the schools walls testify to that. For months, the children have heard about teeth and health in assembly periods. T hey’ve watched their rooms rise and fall on the charts and today they were triumphant.
Department oj Dental Health Education
“T he children themselves are re sponsible for raising Kenwood’s per centage,” Miss Gladys McAlister, principal, said today. “T he children urge eszh other and they listen to their peers when they won’t listen to their teachers.” At 5:30 p. m., Junior Barnum will announce Kenwood’s teeth program. T he fifth and sixth grades will give “ Health Smiles;” Geraldine Berry,
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And then the children wrote acros tics like this one by Bessie Pils, 6A, to help them remember: T is fo r Teeth, the topic of my talk They help you as much as feet help you to walk E is fo r Eating which you cannot do W ithout good teeth to help you chew E is fo r Energy clean teeth will give You must keep them so if you want to live T is fo r Toothache which you will get I f you are careless and to brush them neglect
Fig. 2.— Pageant given by pupils representing the “ 100 per cent” rooms.
4-A grade, will give “ First Aid in Mike’s F am ily;” Lorraine Sager, 2B, just 7 years old, will give a violin solo; Ruth Confer, 3A, will tell how to keep well. A little playlet, “ Mother’s Hy giene Lesson,” written by Theron Love land, of the 6A grade, will be given; the fifth grade will give original health rhymes and jingles; Florence Lang of the 7A grade will give “ Kenwood Crusaders.” Jack Atwood, 2A, will give “ A Secret;” Mrs. Lillian Nippert Zelle will give a violin solo, accom panied by Mary Sue Zelle, 6 year old first grader.
H is fo r Health, and you must remember T o brush teeth in July as well as in December. Teeth is my whole, so shiny and white To keep them so, brush them morning, noon and night.
And then there was this one, also written by a 6A pupil from the same school: H is f.or Hygiene, King of our Court Where brushing our t.'eth is of great import. E is fo r Energy that clean teeth will give The cleaner we keep them, the longer we will live. A is fo r Ache which some of us get I f you don’t watch out you’ll get a false set.
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L is fo r Lime which we get from m ilk Drink it and have teeth as fine as silk T is fo r Toothache that all children fear So go to the dentist at least twice a year. H is fo r Happiness, the greatest of treasures T o keep teeth clean is the greatest of pleasures. M y whole is Health, our good queen’s name. I f you w ant to be healthy, play the tooth game.
Usually each room makes up its program, and most o f their material is original, consisting of dental and health songs, poems and stories. As you will note, some o f the children have even written playlets, which have been broad cast at different times. O n the occa sion of our last session, June 12, we had a pageant in which about 125 chil dren took part. Each child was dressed in a costume which represented some thing pertaining to teeth or health. W e had a boy and girl from each 100 per cent room in Minneapolis and St. Paul. At this last session, we named one girl Lady in W aiting, and one boy Knight. These two children represented all the children in the Northwest who had lived up to the rules and were entitled to receive these honors. W e will continue with the broad casting o f our Court of Gold Medal programs at the opening of school in September. W e thought it best to dis continue broadcasting during the sum mer months because so many o f the children were away from home, and if not away, would not care to listen in when they would much prefer to be out of doors at this hour. T h e radio, and especially the large stations, reaches a great many people. W e started our children’s Court of Gold Medal in December, 1924, and up to the time we closed for the sum mer months, we had between 12,000 and 14,000 members. These children
live in all parts of the Northwest and in Canada. W e are greatly indebted to Station, W C C O for their cooperation in making the work successful. They have done everything possible to make it so. T o you who are especially interested in society oral hygiene activities, I would say: Keep up the good work, doing all you can all of the time. Although you may be discouraged at times, you can not help doing some good to someone. DISCU SSIO N *
H . L. Banzhaf, M ilw aukee, Wis.: I want to congratulate D r. White and those members of the Minneapolis District Dental Society who are responsible fo r the novel and in genious methods that are being used to educate the children of that progressive me tropolis to the importance o f good teeth. The idea o f using the radio is most timely, as well as attractive and entertaining. If the fact that I am just past my ’teens does not bar me from applying as a subject, I hope that Dr. White w ill use his influence with the Court of Gold M edal to admit me. I do not believe I have ever heard o f anything more effective from the point of view o f child psychology. I quite agree that the prim ary school offers the greatest opportunity to educate the.public, not only because the children of today become the adults o f tomorrow, but also because through the children a large proportion of the parents may be won over. If each child is taught the necessity o f eating wholesome, nutritious food; if he is impressed with the importance o f keeping his mouth in a clean condition, and if he is compelled to pass fre quent mouth inspections, during the period of his attendance in the prim ary school, some of our problems with respect to education o f the public w ill eventually disappear. We have made great progress during the last decade as to how to preserve and repair the teeth of man. M any mouth disabilities and ab normalities have been relieved and prevented. Nevertheless, we still do not know why teeth decay and why abnormalities occur in some children and not in others. T h a t we are get• O th e r d is c u s s io n s o f th e p a p e rs o f D rs. W h ite a n d B u c k le y w ill b e p u b lis h e d w ith th e p a p e rs o f D r. H o llis te r a n d M iss S c h m id t in th e M a rc h issu e o f T H E JO U R N A L .
Department o f D ental H ealth Education ting away slowly from surface indications, and are beginning to realize that a biologic understanding is needed before we can make real progress in dental research, is a healthy sign. Until the truth respecting the cause of tooth decay is finally revealed, we must con tinue along lines pointed out by D r. W hite and other investigators who are studying the problem of child health. The rank and file o f the dental profession cannot be expected to assume the burden of the education o f the school children, because, if they did, it would take a m ajor p art of their time. T his w ork should be delegated to hygienists and dentists who are employed by the school authorities: the hygienists to teach in the class room and assume the re sponsibility fo r mouth cleanliness in the pupils under their charge; the dentists to supervise the work of the hygienists to take charge o f dental clinics fo r such indigent children as may be present in the schools. Our chief duty as a profession, as I see it, is to campaign fo r more school hygienists and more school dentists. When we succeed in proving to the public, our state legislatures, our county boards, our city councils and our school boards, that a few dollars spent fo r education as to the importance o f mouth cleanliness w ill result in a happier and healthier people and
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less necessity fo r other public institutions fo r the care o f the sick, and that it w ill mean an actual saving in dollars and cents— in taxes, then, and not until then, w ill we be on the way tow ard our goal. It has been pointed out again and again by students on this sub ject that diseased teeth, and infected tonsils and adenoids, are the direct cause fo r the fa il ure o f many children to be promoted each year. T h e saving affected by the elimination o f a large proportion o f these failures is in itself enough to pay fo r the additional cost of the instruction in health dentistry. As a profession, we should use all of the political influence that we can muster to put through a thorough program fo r dental education in the prim ary schools. We should also see to it that more attention is paid to the matter of teaching correct habits o f diet in the primary schools. W hile I am not optimistic in be lieving that we can ever induce all of our people to eat proper foods, I believe that we can at least reach the children in our schools. I was pleased to note that the rules fo r pro motion in the Gold M edal Court give some recognition to proper habits o f diet. D r. W hite’s paper is an im portant contribution to dental literature because it is fu ll o f prac tical thoughts. T h e suggestions th at he has given us are concrete enough so that we can all go home and try them out.
DENTAL EDUCATIONAL W O RK AMONG CIVIC GROUPS By JOHN P. BUCKLEY, Ph.G., D.D.S., F.A.C.D., Los Angeles, California (Read before the American Dental Association, Louisville, Ky., Sept. 23, 1925)
C C O R D IN G to the statements of prominent educators, one of the encouraging signs of the times lies in the fact that the great educa tional institutions of the country are fast coming to realize that, during the past decade, the trend o f higher educa tion has been too materialistic ; that natural science has taken precedence over social and moral science, and that they have been equipping too many stu
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dents to go out into the world and win financial success, without impressing on them the age-old truth that when char acter is lost, all is lost. No one can dispute the fact that a generation lacking in character, what ever its material achievements, is a generation wasted. Students o f history are fully aware that all economic and industrial progress emanates from a moral or cultural impulse. W henever