Orthodontic Abstracts and Reviews 617

latter group. The association of caries with rnaJocclusions should be noted. Fzcrth.ermore, caries appemed with 10 per cent greater fwquency in individuals having irregular teeth,

-43. N.

Diet and Bone Development. By Dr. William J. Corcoran, J. A. 1~. A., April, 1934.

The discovery of the vitamins has made the orthodontist food conscious. In many instances, where treatment results are unsatisfactory, he turns his attention away from appliances to a more intimate study of the Gssues wit>11 which he has to deal. Nutritional agents play an ever increasing r81e in his orthodontic instrumentarium, but the import,ance of diet must not be allowed t,o overshadow other significant requirements of health. Dr. Corcoran makes a cIear and systematic survey of the food problem in bone development, but not without pointing to those ot,her fact,ors which must, be considered in bone growth, besides diet.

Is everyone living in a state of calcium deficiency? Is the so-called bal- anced diet adequate for normal bone growth? Is there anot,her factor drter- mining the state of bone development besides the dietary?

In an examination of 5,000 children it was found that a large number showed bone hypoplasia despite the fact that their diets were well balanced. On the other hand, a large number of children, whose dietary was definitely deficient, had no signs of bone hypoplasia. The conclusion was finally reached that in the majority of ca,ses diet was a predisposing rather than an active factor in faulty bone development.

The problem is further complicated by the fact that, due to recent dis- coveries in food metabolisms, manufacturers have placed various new food products on the market. There are more kinds of foods, tastes, and mental appetites now than there ever were before.

BASIC ELEMENTS OF FOOD

However, if we apply a critical analysis to the foods which constitute our meals, we find that they consist of certain basic elements, namely: milk, eggs, vegetables, grains, fish, meat,, and fruit. The Neanderthal man depended on these, and our own fanciful dishes consist of them. We are still eating nature’s primary foods, even if they are presented to us under different names.

Junket is milk. Custard is eggs. Cookies are grains. Prunes are fruit.

BALANCED DIET

Balanced diet is a combination of foods in the same chemical composition as they are found in the human body. These chemical materials consist mainly of: carbohydrate, protein, fat, salt, water, and vitamins.

Protein should supply 10 to 15 per cent of the total food.

Carbohydrates should supply 60 to ‘75 per cent of the total food. Fat should supply JO to 30 per cent of the lotal food. Phosphorus is required in amounts of 0.2;) to 0.5 gm. daily. ~alciiun is required in amounts of’ 0.5 lo J .O mg. tlaily. Iron is required in amounts of 7 to 10 gin. daily. Vitamins are atlequatcly furnished by 30 gm. orange juice a.nd 8 gm. cod

liver oil.

After the consideration of basic food elements and t.heir utilization in a, balanced diet, we must further concede the fact that, each child is an individual. And while we know which diet will generally produce normal bone growt.h, we do not know what constitutes norma,l bone growth in an individual child. Phenomena of endocrinolog>T and of metabolism have to be taken in account. As an exa,mple, a child with delayed drntition was studied. The child was placed on a balanced diet, including vitamins and dicalcium phosphate. HLI~

because it was an individual child, t,hc eruption was not accelerated until a little iodine was added to stimulat,e the deficient. a&ion of the thyroid.

For this reason, WC should not think of diet and bone development in terms of so much salts, proteins. and vitamins, but we should recognize t,he interrela tionship of all factors dealing with absorption. dist,ribution, and utilization. Not all of these factors are thoroughly understood. This is the explanation of why children receiving adeyua,te amounts of mineral salts may have faulty bone development. Insufficient sunlight, excess of fats, dysfunctioning para- thyroids, chronic infections. or something not so evident! may be to blame. It would, for instance, be interesting to determine how many children present faulty bone growth not because of an inadequate supply of mineral. salts, but. let us say, because of an abnormal protein metabolism.

-43. ,v.

Fisher’s Orthodontic Directory of the World. Edit,ed by Dr. (.‘laude lt. Wood: Knoxville, Tenn., 1934.

After an interval of two years the nrthodont,ic directory has again been published. now named in honor of its founder, Dr. William C’. Fisher. Tt contains a, list of all practicing orthodontists in the United States and in foreign countries. The listing includes : name, address, year of gradtmtion from drmal school, postgraduate orthodontic school attended and year of graduation, membership it1 orthodontic societies, statement whether practice is limited to orthodontia.

It. is gratifying t,o know t,hat this valuable publication is to be continued. In present times the tendency of people to change their place of residence is pronounced. Invariably, a patient, when leaving US for another city, asks for

a recommendation. Jt is at snch a t,ime that the orthodontic directory comes in handy. If the recommended orthodontist is not personally known t,o us? his postgraduate training will give us a cert,ain amount of information regard- ing the methods which he uses. In t,his way, an orthodontist may be selected who will carry on our plan of t,reatment, more or less unchanged.

---E. N,