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Children sent for testing in the first six months: 60. Sickle cell trait: 5.
If a patient is shown to have sickle |cell disease or thalassaemia major, arrangements
are made for admission to hospital if a general anaesthetic is required.
Apples and Oral Hygiene
A pilot study, conducted by the Chief Dental Officer, a dental auxiliary and a dental
nurse, was undertaken to discover if apples eaten after lunch resulted in better
oral hygiene and whether these children appeared to be more conscious of the
requirements for good dental health.
Children at the two schools studied (Tidemill Infants and Tidemill Juniors) were
given one quarter of an apple daily for one term by the Inner London Education
Authority.
The dental surgeon examined the children before and after lunch and the oral
debris was graded on each occasion to see if the consumption of the quarter apple
improved the oral hygiene.
Oral Hygiene
The infants who had been supplied with apples appeared to have benefited most,
for those who showed improvement or the same oral debris measurement after lunch
were much greater in this school than in the control group.
In the case of Tidemill and Dalmain Junior Schools, their oral hygiene indices
were much the same. It should be noted that the control school (Dalmain) had
benefited greatly from previous dental health education programmes in that water
is provided at the dining tables. Apples are often sold at the tuck shop although
they had not been provided during that particular week.
Assessment of Dental Health Education
The dental auxiliary undertook the task of questioning the pupils in an attempt to
compare the dental health awareness of the four schools.
Infants Schools
In both schools between 80 and 90 per cent, of the children owned tooth brushes;
about 38 per cent, had brushed their teeth that morning. About 73 per cent, knew
the value of fibrous foods on dental health, compared with 32 per cent, in the control
school.
In the general assessment the apple school (Tidemill) had a higher level of dental
health education than the control school.
Junior Schools
This produced a very interesting result in that the same 80-90 per cent, owned a tooth
brush, but 60 per cent, of the control children had cleaned their teeth that morning and
only 35 per cent, of the apple school had done so. Yet in the apple school 36 per cent,
had a poor oral hygiene grading compared with 46 per cent, in the control.
Both schools knew the value of fibrous foods for good dental health. The control
school was found to have the greater dental health awareness.
This kind of study shows that there are many ways of acquiring good dental
health; that although apples are very valuable in making the children more diet and
tooth conscious, it is possible to achieve similar results by providing water at meal
times. Both have administrative problems, including cost.
I should like to thank the head teachers, Miss S. M. Lane and Miss H. A. Rodger
from Tidemill School, also Mr. L. Retallick and Miss B. Ashe from Dalmain School
for their help and co-operation.
The assistance given to me in the survey by Mrs. P. Munday and Miss J. Gumosz
is greatly appreciated.
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