Posted by Mark H. on April 14, 2000, at 18:52:42
In reply to Trauma the cause...or Antidepressant, posted by Rick on April 14, 2000, at 10:12:13
UPI (c) 4/01/2000
News helicopters circled Monroe High in North Hills today as more "fours" and "fives" were rumored to have been found by a dental hygienist making random inspections at the suburban Los Angeles campus. "I'm shocked by these pockets," Rachael Wong, RDA, said as she rinsed and spit. "Young people today have little appreciation for the potential impact of peridontal disease on their future insurance rates."
Religious Studies instructor Max Weber, who has taught at the high school since 1918, earlier had reported to school authorities stories he overheard of lack of flossing and regular brushing among a cult-like group of students claiming to practice transcend-dental meditation. School administrators characterize this fringe group as apathetic and uninvolved. Since redness and occasional bleeding are usually only visible when the students are smiling, much of the problem apparently goes unnoticed by faculty and administrators alike.
"They seem pretty normal to me," said Clarissa Rouse, a 32-year old sophomore who has experienced difficulty meeting the school's graduation requirements. "At the end of their program, I think they receive a plaque."
Others believe the problem is overstated. In withdrawing his earlier inflammatory comments, Mayor Riordan read from a prepared speech in which he stated, "Monroe High School has been shown to be an effective decay preventive dentifrice that can be of significant value when used in a conscientiously applied program of oral hygiene and regular professional care." He apologized to parents, students and faculty for implying that the school had failed to retain the endorsement of the American Dental Association.
Ms. Wong, however, remains unconvinced. "I hate it when probing and scaling become politicized in this way. No one under the age of 35 should have to tolerate depths of more than two millimeters. I could park a Volkswagen behind some of the molars I looked at today. It's disgusting!"
poster:Mark H.
thread:29975
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/30034.html