Diet And Dental Health

, Extracts from talk broadcast from

7 jr ijy the Nutrition Section of fire South Pacific Health Service trom a paper prepared by the

Dental Department).

yfANY people do not realise just how iVi much the diet affects the growth of the teeth and how essential It is to cat the right kinds of foods, every tooth is a living part of the body conte ining nerves, arteries, veins and other tissues, all of which contain cells.

The cells of the body must have certain "basic essentials in order to work properly.

These essentials are obtained from the food eaten and unless the cells have a efficient and adequate supply of each and every nutrient every day, they become starved and eventually sicken and die.

While the teeth are developing within the jaws, it is necessary that they re vive adequate amounts of building materials such as proteins, minerals, and fats and other nutritive elements found n foods. For this reason, it is essential that growing children have plenty of fresh milk to drink each day.

Children should have at least one pint of milk every day until they are 12 years old. and adolescents should have pints of milk every day.

In this way, they will receive sufficient calcium to build strong straight bones and teeth. The enamel of the teeth de clops within the jaws over a long period of time, and if the intake of calcium is inadequate, the enamel will be mottled and pitted.

In pregnancy and lactation, the intake of calcium should be increased as the unborn and newly-born baby draws its supply of calcium for its bones and teeth .om its mother. Sugars and starches which are the carbohydrate foods used by the body in order to obtain energy for muscular activity, should be eaten in the

correct amounts depending on how active a person is, and how hard they work.

Excessive amounts of refined sugars are harmful to the teeth.

Tooth decay is caused by certain bacteria in the mouth which rapidly con verts into lactic acid; this acid eats away the enamel and dentine of which the teeth are formed. Whenever sugary and starchy food clings to the teeth this destructive acid keeps on forming. The more often sugar is eaten, the quicker a tooth is destroyed. When sweet liquids are drunk the sugar clings to the teeth in a film.

The saliva of the average person, with the help of the alkaline foods also eaten with meals, can easily neutralise the small amounts of acids produced during meal times, so that tooth decay does not result. But if cakes, biscuits, sweets and chocolates are eaten five or six times a day, between meals, the amount of acid formed in the mouth is rapidly multiplied and the saliva will be unable to cope with it.

Every time a sweet is eaten, the teeth suffer an attack of acids, especially if the sweets are eaten between meals as they then stick to the teeth for com paratively long periods of time. At meal times sugar is brushed off the teeth by other foods such as vegetables and fruits, but when sweet foods are eaten between meals the particles left in the mouth are not brushed away.

Besides cutting down on sweet things, other good ways to prevent tooth decay and bleeding and infected gums are as follows: Firstly, finish every meal with a tough scrubbing food such as celery, apple, coconut, raw carrot, lettuce or a stick of sugar cane. The concentration of sugar in cane is not sufficient to cause decay and the self cleansing qualities of the fibrous material are excellent for the teeth. It is interesting to note, that a child has to chew a considerable length of sugar cane in order to ingest as much sugar as most people take, as refined sugar, in one cup of tea.

Secondly, good tooth brushing is very important. Teeth and gums should be brushed as soon as possible after every meal and certainly after breakfast and before going to bed. Frequently people clean their teeth when they get up and do not clean them after breakfast. This is wrong; they should be cleaned after breakfast. Teeth and gums should be brushed carefully, making the bristles get in between the teeth. The best way to brush is by brushing round in small circles on all surfaces. It is not the tooth paste which is important—common salt is just as good—it is how and when and how often the teeth are brushed which is important. A tooth brush costs less than a cake of milk chocolate and does a hundred times more good.

If packed lunches or sandwiches are taken by members of the family for a meal away from home, one of the scrubbing foods should be included to chew afterwards to cleanse the mouth— especially if it is impossible to clean the teeth, with a tooth brush after eating.

The following salad recipe is excellent for the teeth:

Raw Salad

1 small cabbage or China cabbage, shredded (use dark green leaves as well as pale ones). 2 large carrots, grated. 2 Spring onions, chopped. 1 cup grated raw coconut. 2 large tomatoes (sliced). 2 tablespoons grated cheese. 1 tablespoon sultanas.

Vi cup freshly chopped pineapple. 2 tablespoons vinegar.

A few drops of salad oil seasoning.

Toss the cabbage and spring onions in vinegar and salad oil. Place on a flat dish. Arrange other ingredients in an attractive pattern. Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to chill and make crisp.

Serve with any suitable meat, egg or fish dish. Half an apple can be chopped up and added to the salad when available.

When celery is obtainable, very delicious savouries can be made by taking pieces about 3 inches long and stuffing them with grated cheese or grated raw carrot.