Practical oral hygiene : prophylaxis and pyorrhea alveolaris.

  • Adair, Robin, 1878-1929.
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Practical oral hygiene : prophylaxis and pyorrhea alveolaris. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    CHAPTEE II. ORAL HYGIENE FEOM INFANCY. SOME FUNDAMENTAL OBSEKVATIONS. SIXTH YEAK MOLARS.— MASTICATION OF FOOD.—THE NEGLECTED MOUTH. Oral hygiene for the infant should start at its birth, and be maintained by the trained nurse until the child is turned over to the regular nurse and the mother, who in turn, should be taught to carry out our instructions for keeping the mouth in a cleanly condition. Milk, whether from the mother's breast or the cow, readily ferments in an exposed warm place, such as the child's mouth. If properly done, nothing but good can result from washing a baby's mouth. The manner of doing this is one of the simplest things, and yet, in mj^' college work, after lecturing on the subject, I have found that few stu- dents remembered it at thei time of their final examina- tions. The first requisite is clean hands. Around the index finger is wrapped a small amount of aseptic cotton; the cotton is then saturated with a solution of boric acid. The child is held in the arms with the head slightly back, and, as most children when held in this position open their mouths, the finger can be inserted easily. The part of the mouth which needs the most attention is not the top of the gum surface, as many seem to think, but under the tongue, and at the lower surfaces on the buccal sides of the cheek in places where milk remains. Do not use gauze on the finger as it is entirely too rough. Rubbing is not necessary, but the simple cleansing by removing the milk debris is the proper idea. The best time for this is after the morning bath and the procedure may be repeated at night with good results. When the child is about nine months old, the same method is used, and, in addition, care should be exercised in wiping around whatever teeth have erupted at this