London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Enfield 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Enfield]
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34
children recommended for attendance by the assistant school medical
officers and teachers.
I have received reports from the Ophthalmic and Aural Specialists
which show a steady continuity of work throughout the year.
Mr. James, the Senior School Dental Surgeon, has also submitted to
me a full report on the dental condition of the children in our elementary
and secondary schools. In this report he stresses that
dental health depends largely on correct diet, and points to the fact
that about 30 per cent of children in institutions are dentally fit as
compared with about 10J per cent of children living at home.
I asked Mr. James whether in his opinion the alteration in diet resulting from the war had had any effect on school entrants, and received from him some very interesting information which I set out below:
| School. | Year Inspected. | No. Inspected. | % inspected who were "naturally fit." | No. (per child inspected) of temporary teeth carious and lost. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. | 1938 | 91 | 2.19% | 4.8 |
| 1942 | 89 | 20.22% | 3.3 | |
| B. | 1938 | 83 | 2.40% | 5.45 |
| 1942 | 72 | 12.50% | 4.84 | |
| C. | 1938 | 126 | 4.76% | 5.62 |
| 1942 | 79 | 11.39% | 4.12 | |
| D. | 1938 | 104 | 19.23% | 4.53 |
| 1942 | 111 | 7.20% | 4.29 |
The figures are a comparison between 1938 and 1942, and by
the words "naturally fit" Mr. James means children with perfect
dentition, i.e. no teeth previously extracted, no teeth requiring
extraction, no teeth previously filled, and no teeth requiring filling.
The table shows that the inspection of 1942 revealed a marked
increase in the number of children naturally fit in the case of three
schools, and a decrease in one. For this latter decrease neither
Mr. James nor I can account.
It may be argued that it is wrong to rely on impressions but,
as I have indicated in the case of nutrition, the impressions of