Jane's condition is known den tally as “malocclusion,'' meaning irregularities in tooth position. A survey by the Chicago Board of Health showed almost half of Chicago's school children had the condition in varying degrees. One of the chief causes for it, the survey found, was premature loss of primary, or first, teeth. The survey concluded that a ' dis eased primary tooth can be as hazardous as a diseased perma nent tooth.” Here is what happens when a primary tooth comes out too early becaaise of decay: teeth on either side of the gap tend to drift together and close the va cant space. A few years later,

68.9%