International Journal ofOrthodontia and Oral SurgeryPUBLISHED TIlE FIFTEENTH OF EVERY MONTH BY

THE C. V. MOSBY CO., 3523-25 Pine Blvd., St. Louis, Mo.

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Editorial

The Department of Dentistry for Children

The late Thomas A. Edison, upon being asked what he considered thegreatest machine in existence, is quoted as having retorted that he regarded"the brain and soul of a little child" as the answer to that question. Thisremark is significant in that it reflects the opinion of a man with one of thefinest minds ever found.

The practice of children's dentistry is not so new a subject as is some­times believed. In A.D. 131 was written; "The lack of nutrition makes theteeth weak, thin and brittle. An excess of nourishment excites a kind ofinflammation similar to that of the soft parts. A deficiency of nourishmentnot only causes the tooth to die away but also enlarges the cavities." Dental

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caries is a matter of metabolism, which in turn is a very important featureof pediatrics. The student of medicine receives at most only a few lecturesupon this subject; however, at the present time pediatrics is generally re­garded as one of the most important departments of the entire science andpractice of medicine.

The dental profession finally became conscious that ehildrens dentistryhad in past years been neglected in dental practice. Part of the dental pro­fession became aware rather abruptly, it seems, that diseases of the mouthbear a very definite relation to general systemic disorders of the human body,and it then closely followed that the practice of dentistry for children shouldno longer be regarded as a "necessary evil" but as a fundamental part ofdental practice more closely allied with medicine than any other specialty ofdentistry.

Several years ago the editors of the International Journal of Orthodontiabelieved children's dentistry to be a field assured of tremendous advancementnot only because of its naturally close relationship with scientific medicinebut also because of the tremendous burst of enthusiasm exhibited by its corpsof workers. The enthusiasm seemed to parallel that of the early history bothof pediatrics in medicine and of orthodontia in dentistry. It was felt thatthere would be a real need for a journal to carry the message of the workersin this specialty throughout the world and that there existed a common inter­est as well between children's dentistry and the specialty of orthodontia. Ac­cordingly, the services of one of the most talented and outstanding youngworkers in the field of children's dentistry, Dr. Walter T. McFall, weresecured to edit the new department in the Journal, with the assistance of anumber of well-known men. Dr. McFall worked enthusiastically and loyallyin order that the Department of Dentistry for Children might creditably ful­fill the mission for which it was intended.

It was with no small amount of regret that the Journal recently aban­doned its Department of Dentistry for Children. From the publisher"s stand­point the subject will require a longer pioneer period and more educationalpropaganda to realize its goal-this will require patience, money, and endur­ance in order to hold out through the period of development. From the editor­in-chief's standpoint it is difficult, in the present stage of the subject, tosecure articles of interest which coordinate medical and dental treatment andwhich feature preventive health service for children. It is difficult to procurefor publication manuscripts which take the premise that the mouth is theorifice of entry for all nutrition and that what happens to the alimentarytract has an important bearing on the rest of the body. Articles featuringnutrition and malnutrition or bacterial invasion of the body with the mouthas the port of entry are not plentiful, originating from the medically trainedmind and written from the pediatric viewpoint.

The Journal, however, looks with satisfaction on the fact that it enjoyedthe support and enthusiastic work of its associate editors who tried very hardto contribute this mite of literature to make children's dentistry a reallygreat specialty. Dr. McFall will continue to have charge of all material onchildren's dentistry which is believed to be of interest to the readers of the

Editorial 435

Tnternaiional. Journal of Orthodontia, and to him and his staff go the sincerethanks of the editors and the publishers for three years of very difficult workin a loyal and sincere attempt to make the department both scientifically andeconomically possible. We like to think the department is only delayed andrequires more time, patience, and money because of its very nature and edu­cational requirements. It may require the lapse of sufficient time for a newgeneration of dentists to enter the field of practice, a generation whose herit­age has not long decreed that the practice of children's dentistry is physicallyirksome to them.

The Journal, its publishers, and editors believe today, as they did threeyears ago, that children's dentistry is a most fertile, unexplored, and impor­tant field in dental practice; however, they are forced to face the obvious factthat it is a new specialty and that sufficient manuscript of an excellent char­acter to support a vigorous department in the Journal is difficult to obtain,and that such a department, while highly meritorious, is difficult to operateon an economically sound basis. Under the guidance of Dr. McFall, however,they hope to publish from time to time outstanding articles pertaining todentistry for children.

H. C.P.