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of all pre-school children seeking such facilities outside the general
dental scheme of the National Health Service. Furthermore, not
less than 9% of a local authority dental officer's time is to be
devoted to the care of mothers and pre-school children. As most
practices within the National Health Service are necessarily and
primarily geared for the treatment of older patients, there is a
clamant need for an effective scheme devoted to the introduction
of the small child to dental care. However, the Maternity and
Child Welfare Dental Service functions within the framework of
the School Dental Service and, as previous Annual Reports have
shown, available facilities in this latter service are regrettably short
of requirements. Moreover, any increase beyond the stipulated 9%
of total sessions would naturally depend upon the availability of
additional school dental service premises.
Children under School Age
The service concentrates upon the introduction of these children
to dental care and treatment and the dental health education of
the mother.
Nursing and Expectant Mothers
All cases expressing preference for the Service are accepted and
their entitlement to free treatment within the general dental services
of the National Health Service is explained to them. Unfortunately,
our shortage of treatment facilities prompts priority concentration
on the children and the postponement of active encouragement of
routine treatment of mothers—particularly of dental construction
—until the aim of an adequate child service has been achieved.
Nevertheless, every effort is made to give guidance in the understanding
and prevention of dental disease, to explain the effects
of motherhood on oral tissues and to treat acute conditions when
they arise.
Dependence of the M. & C. W. Dental Service upon the School
Dental Service demands the optimum use of time and resources
so, in most cases, appointments for mothers and children are
booked during school dental sessions and statistical adjustments
made accordingly.
The limited treatment facilities available, necessitating priority
of child over mother, fall seriously short of the effective service
which the community requires. Although some form of compromise
is achieved under the school dental scheme by the fullest
possible service to the young school child, this fails to compensate
for the lack of dental supervision from an early age. Over 50% of