John G.C. Adams: father of Dental Public Health in Canada.

John Gennings Curtis Adams (1839-1922), Canada's first resident dental missionary, was the father of Dental Public Health in Canada. He established, personally funded and operated the first free dental hospital in North America for poor children and their mothers in Toronto from 1872, three years before the founding of The Hospital for Sick Children; he later became their first dentist of record. He was a visionary zealot for prevention of decay, dental education, and treatment over extraction. Dr. Adams understood that neither parents (rich or poor) nor physicians were aware of the extent of pathosis present in children's mouths. He petitioned individuals, lobbied politicians and unions and pressured dental organizations on the importance of twice-annual school inspections to demonstrate disease so that parents would seek care for their children. He wanted government-funded dental hospitals like his own to treat those who could not afford care. He realized his objectives and his reforms to prevent suffering, as Toronto school inspections began in 1911 and Toronto's first publicly-funded free dental clinic opened in 1913. He was Canada's first dental philanthropist and a visionary for preventive dentistry.

A qualitative study of the role of dental therapy in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of the dental therapy profession in New Zealand, identifying the foundation of the profession, and the influences that have shaped its role. DESIGN: Qualitative study incorporating transcripts from oral archives, national questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with key people of influence among the oral health professions. METHODS: A selection of data was ordered into a written sequence and presented, to demonstrate key influencing factors in the introduction, training and work of New Zealand's dental nurses. RESULTS: Education for the dental therapy profession was preceded by the school dental nurse vocation and, despite the intention for the dental nurse's role to be one of 'forestalling disease' and 'prevention', the eventual role was very different. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides evidence of the valuable role of Dental Therapy in New Zealand's public health sector, but whether the role has been utilised most effectively is questionable, particularly when considering the original objectives that were given when the School Dental Nurse concept was first introduced.

Dental hygienists' contributions to improving the nation's oral health through school-based initiatives from 1970 through 1999: a historical review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this literature review is to document the contributions dental hygienists have made over the past 3 decades to improve the nation's oral health. This historical review encompasses selected literature that acknowledged dental Hygienists' direct involvement in U.S. school-based or school-linked oral health programs from 1970-1999. METHODS: Five researchers independently searched MEDLINE, PubMed, and other electronic databases to identify relevant literature for the years 1970-1999. The search aimed to locate articles authored by or that documented dental Hygienists' involvement as "service provider" in U.S. school-based oral health programs. For the purpose of this review, service provider was defined as educator, administrator, clinician, examiner, or any other unspecified service performed by a dental hygienist. RESULTS: Fifty-seven articles were retrieved, of which 36 (63%) directly linked dental hygienists to U.S. school-based activities. Twenty-seven articles specifically identified dental hygienists as service providers. Dental hygienists were listed as either primary or contributing author on 19 of these articles. CONCLUSION: The decade of the 1970s revealed very little literature documenting dental Hygienists' involvement in U.S. school-based oral health programs. The 1970s, however, were instrumental in laying the foundation for service in the years that followed. As public health initiatives expanded in the 1980s, dental hygienists were identified in the largest number of papers as key personnel in the areas of education, management, service provider, and author. The decade of the 1990s yielded less literature than the 1980s, yet recognized dental Hygienists' involvement in all aspects of oral health care delivery, program development and management, and authorship. The authors of this review theorize that dental hygienists were engaged in more school-based programs than reported and were involved in the authorship process more frequently than documented. Due to lack of credentials, or the omission of the words "dental hygienist," "RDH," or "LDH," in favor of "health care provider," "auxiliary," or "trained health care educator," it is unknown what portion of contributions made by dental hygienists remain undocumented.

The origins of school dentistry in Spain.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, a movement which proposed that dental check-ups and treatment be carried out among school children appeared world wide. In Spain, the leading representatives of this movement were Perez Cano and Otaola. Pressure from odontologists forced the government to promulgate two decrees which made dental check-ups obligatory for school children.

The evolution of children's dentistry in Europe over the last 200 years.

Interest in better child oral health commenced during the 19th century, but modern children's dentistry started in 1902 when the first European dental clinic for children was opened in Strasbourg by Ernst Jessen. Although there were enormous changes in health systems after the Second World War, real changes in child dental care only occurred with the advent of WHO guidelines for the application of preventive programs.

Margaret McMillan: 'mother' of child health.

This paper discusses the work of Margaret McMillan. In particular, it highlights her efforts to improve the dental health of children in Deptford, London. Among her achievements was the opening of a health centre which included one of the earliest school dental clinics in London.

[Carl Robert Henie (1850-1919) and his survey of school children's teeth in 1897. A pioneer work in Norway]. / Carl Robert Henie (1850-1919) og hans undersøkelse av skolebarnas tenner i 1897. Et pionerarbeid i Norge.

At the end of the 19th century dental caries had become a serious health problem in many countries, especially among children and young people. Filling their teeth was not common practice among ordinary people. Extraction was usually the only treatment offered. Surveys of schoolchildren's teeth were carried out in many countries in order to establish the extent of the problem, to find out some of the causes, and to stop rotting of teeth. In Norway, the doctor Carl Robert Henie (1850-1919) carried out such a survey in the mid-1890s at Hamar. He examined 660 children (347 boys and 313 girls) aged 7-17 years. Unfortunately he does not say how the examination was carried out, whether he had a good light for his work, or whether or not he used instruments. It is reasonable to assume that he examined the children's teeth in ordinary day-light without using a probe. In this case, many incidents of caries would have been overlooked, leading to no small degree of underreporting. This means that his results cannot be compared out of hand with more recent registrations. Henie, like many others of his contemporaries, maintained that dental caries is a disease of civilization, and emphasized a proper diet containing less refined and processed foods. He recommended coarse bread made from whole-meal flour. He also emphasized the use of fluorine and calcium to prevent caries. His efforts helped to draw the attention of the authorities to a neglected area of health work, and to the establishment of the first school dental clinics in the country a few years later.

'Idle teeth get into mischief'. The Dental Health of Walsall (UK) school children 1910-1912 and the consequent development of school dentistry in the Borough.

A Medical Inspector of Schools was appointed in Walsall Staffordshire in 1907, and her medical scrutiny of schoolchildren included a dental examination. The sections of her annual reports in 1910-12 which concerned the dental state of the 5, 7 and 14 year old children are presented. The percentage of children in these ages with one or more carious teeth was in excess of 50 per cent. The findings from these studies resulted in the appointment of the first school dental officer to Walsall Borough Corporation.