False Teeth For N.G.

Natives Civilisation Marches On!

CIVILISATION is not the only cause of bad teeth. Some New Guinea natives have sufficient dental decay and other mouth disorders to inspire the dental department of the Lutheran Mission at Finschhafen to fit them out with dentures. And for this the mission is well-equipped.

“I was amazed on arrival at Finsch hafen to find that the Lutheran Mission had dental facilities equal to anything I have seen in Australia,” said Mr. C. A.

Brumm, mission dental officer, formerly of Brisbane, who is now in charge of the elaborate dental clinic at the Lutheran Mission Hospital, Finschhafen. The modern equipment, including X-ray, was purchased from the Army.

Natives will get exactlv the same treat ment as Europeans, and will be supplied with dentures equal to anything procur able in Australia. ‘‘They’ll get teeth worth £2O in Syd ney,” Mr, Brumm said, “but, of course, they’ll be supplied at greatly reduced prices!”

Many natives come to the hospital with mouth diseases, and with teeth in very bad condition, and in a great number of cases they need extractions. It is customary to let their gums harden before fitting a set of teeth.

When told that Mr. Alan McCay, a pre-war Dental Surgeon of Wau, New Guinea, had made a special study of the betel-nut in its effect on native’s teeth, as a thesis for his doctor’s degree in dentistry, proving that, in his opinion, it had no beneficial effect, Mr. Brumm seemed non-committal. He admitted, however, that the chewing of betel nut might keep the teeth free from decay, but, unfortunately, the natives have no sense of mouth hygiene and the tissue is broken down by filth. He said he was trying to get natives to refrain from chewing the betel nut; some had pro mised to do so, but it was difficult for them to give up the habit. Judging from nearby villages he had visited, he said, natives were most eager to get dental treatment.