1941: Dentistry

Dental Defects in Draftees.

Dental defects lead all causes for physical rejection of registrants under the Selective Service Act with 20.9 per cent, or over 200,000, of the 1,000,000 men rejected. This was sufficient to impress government defense and public health agencies with the fact, long known to dentists, that the teeth of the nation are badly neglected, although America is conceded everywhere to lead the world in dental education and technical advancement.

An investigation by the United States Public Health Service of dental conditions according to Selective Service standards, of about 1,400 rejectees in West Virginia and Maryland revealed 2.4 teeth per man to require extraction; 7.6 tooth surfaces needed to be filled; and, because on the average, 13 teeth have been extracted, 9 out of every 10 need full or partial artificial dentures. Perennial dental servicing, beginning with childhood is advocated by the United States Public Health Service. Prompt placement of fillings is urged during school attendance, at a rate equal to the incidence with which dental lesions arise.

A program for rehabilitation of dental rejectees was approved by the Board of Trustees of the American Dental Association. This called for dentally deficient registrants to be either inducted into the service and then to have their needs cared for by the respective dental divisions of the armed forces of the Nation, or to be treated privately before induction, partly through the voluntary service of dentists and partly through public funds.

Shortage of Dentists.

The national defense program as now outlined requires 5,220 dentists for the Army and 100 additional dentists each year for the Navy. These requirements, plus other increased demands, represent a reduction of at least five per cent in the number of dentists available for service in civilian life. Over the past few years there has been an actual decrease in the number of dentists practicing in this country, in spite of a growing population.

It has been estimated that the United States requires an additional 2,250 dentists annually in order to maintain the present number of approximately 70,000 practicing dentists. This figure has fallen short by approximately 700 dentists annually.

Dental Education.

A great change in dental education has been initiated at Harvard University. The new program provides for medical and dental students to be taught together in the same classes and in the curriculum of a newly created School of Dental Medicine within the School of Medicine. The combined undergraduate curricula will extend through five academic years, three and one-half in classes with medical students; one and one-half in separate classes in dental subjects. Two degrees — M. D. and D. M. D. — will be awarded on graduation at the end of the fifth year. The number of students to be admitted will be limited annually for the present to fifteen students. It is proposed to discontinue the Harvard Dental School in 1944, after the graduation of the present sophomore, junior and senior classes.

Sulfonamides in Dentistry.

The action of sulfanilamide depends on a minimum concentration of the free drug in the blood, of about 8 mg. per 100 cc. Topical application of the sulfonamides was shown to moderate postoperative discomfort in dental operations, irrespective of the degree of injury involved. Thus infection, rather than tissue damage, will have to be considered the essential factor in producing inflammatory reactions following extraction. Trauma is secondary, although its avoidance is still imperative because the more extensive tissue damage becomes, the wider are the avenues opened for the invasion of contaminated material.

Acrylic Resins for Filling Teeth.

Acrylic teeth for dentures, bridge pontics, acrylic-faced gold inlays, jacket crowns, etc., have been undergoing experimental observation with encouraging reports. The hue effects and graduations of hues of teeth possible with acrylics rivals and may exceed anything achieved in porcelain. Jacket crowns which will withstand stress that would fracture porcelain seems to be a possibility at present. Acrylic teeth, being non-abrasive, will not wear down gold restorations in the opposing teeth.

Priority of Dental Materials.

The Office of Production Management, the War Department, and the Deputy Director of Selective Service have issued a ruling on the priority use of dental materials. It was stated that the dental profession constitutes an activity essential to national health and that a serious interruption may adversely affect the health of the nation. A Pan American Day, the first observance of its kind by the American Dental Association, was held at the Annual Meeting of the American Dental Association at Houston, Texas, Oct. 27-31, 1941. Dental organizations of 18 republics of the Western Hemisphere participated. See also MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE.