Dental by The National Library of Medicine

Good dental care for children is presented in this film. Teeth are made from the food we eat. A smiling girl sits at a table eating a meal. A diagram shows the parts of a tooth as a pointer indicates the parts. The right foods are necessary for good teeth. Vigorous chewing helps to make strong teeth. Stain and deposits lead to decay. A mouthful of decayed teeth is shown. The dental hygienist helps to keep the mouth healthy. A woman dental hygienist is shown in a dental clinic greeting a boy patient. The child gets into the dentist's chair and has a towel put over his chest.

Dr. Benjamin Spock, noted pediatrician, discusses community water fluoridation--its safety, low cost, and effectiveness in reducing dental caries. Advice to parents and facts about community water fluoridation are presented in Dr. Spock's own warm, inimitable manner.

This program discusses the techniques dentists can use to detect oral cancer. The program begins with an examination of a patient who has had oral cancer and emphasizes the importance of early detection to prevent metastases. The program stresses that cancer in different oral sites presents with different problems. The presentation includes the symptoms, incidence and distribution of cancer of the lower lip, tongue and floor of the mouth. The program presents a routine examination with emphasis on the symptoms representative of cancer.

This film tells the story of an average American family, in particular Danny, the young son in the family, and their approach to dental care. Attitudes toward dentistry and dental habits good and bad are explored, with an emphasis on the consequences of ignoring the importance of oral health. Out of their experiences come the lessons that lead to good dental health: the need for preventive dentistry and early dental care, the need for regular checkups and early treatment of decayed teeth, and the desirability of proper nutrition and careful mouth hygiene. Narrated by Lowell Thomas.

Through the use of a compact series of explanatory examples, this film points out the value of modern dental care with emphasis on the use of fluorides, focusing especially on school-age children and how dental care and education can be delivered in that environment The film describes how a rural community organizes a topical fluoride program and how an urban community institutes fluoridation of the public water supply. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9605135.

The importance of a healthy, charming smile from childhood to old age is stressed. Good teeth are necessary for a good smile. Proper dental care begins in utero. A physician shows a pregnant woman a chart picturing the foods she should eat. Regular visits to the dentist should begin at about age two years. A dentist waiting room filled with children is shown. A toddler and little boy are examined by the dentist in his surgery. Care of the temporary teeth is advocated. The dentist shows the boy how to brush his teeth.

This film describes fluoridation research, the benefits of adding fluoride to community water supplies, and various types of fluoride and methods of adding it. Grand Rapids, Michigan is presented as the earliest test case of public water fluoridation, and decreases in the incidence of tooth decay in that city are illustrated with bar charts and statistics. Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/8600895A.

This film tells the story of how one community brought the benefits of fluoridated water to its children, how the dentists, the health officers, the mayor, the waterworks engineer, and citizens got together and fought for fluoridation before it was the widely recognized public health measure it is today. Based in part on the story of how the people of Newark, Delaware added fluoride to their water supply, the film vividly portrays the down-to-earth situations that exist in every community, the typical conflicts, the doubts about fluoridation, and the evidence for it.

This film stresses the importance of routine oral examination to detect infections or early diagnosis of oral cancer. Dr. Robert Johnson demonstrates a routine oral exam while explaining the procedure. The film also shows oral cancers in their early stages of development. The film concludes with an appeal by the Chief of the U.S. Public Health Service's Cancer Control Program, Dr. William L. Ross. He urges dentists to examine and test for oral cancer, arguing that the patient's overall health, not just their teeth, is the dental practioner's responsibility.