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REPORT OF THE CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER
AND PRINCIPAL SCHOOL DENTAL OFFICER
School Dental Service
As I did not take up my appointment until November 1965. I must confine myself
to saying something about the general picture as I found it adding some observations
and my hopes for the future.
The establishment of dental officers was as complete as the accommodation allowed,
and the supporting staff of dental surgery assistants was adequate.
1965 was a year of transition and also saw the implementation of the scheme for
examination of new entrants into the schools. It is difficult to comment upon this
until it has run for a longer period, and in any case, opposing views exist as to
whether it should remain or whether reversion to the old system of regular school
dental inspections should take place. Perhaps ideally a combination of both would
give the best of both worlds. Suffice it to say that the revisional appointments
have on the whole met with a good response and a satisfactory flow of patients has
continued at all the clinics over the year.
It is almost impossible to present a truly accurate picture of the state of the
teeth of the whole school population anywhere, because an increasingly large number
of children appear to be treated in private practice, and it is this factor which
leaves a large gap in any sensible attempt at statistical information.
The important thing to ascertain (and this can only be done at school inspection)
is that the children who opt to have private treatment do in fact seek it, so that
the school dental service and private practice are truly complementary.
It is however in the school dental service that something more can be done in
the field of education, and it is to this end that I hope the introduction into the
schools of short films and accompanying talks on dental hygiene will be of great
assistance.
I am most grateful to the Health Education Officer for his help with Dental Health
propaganda. It is also pleasing to record that the Borough has accepted the principle
of fluoridation and this is a hope for the future as it is through this medium that a
new and fresh attack on dental decay can and should be made.
From the mass of statistics available. I have endeavoured to break down into
simple terms the most important items, namely the operations performed and what they
really mean.
Children aged 5-9 years had 3,083 permanent teeth filled and 4,343 temporary
teeth filled. They had 94 permanent teeth extracted and 1,744 deciduous teeth
extracted.
Children aged 10 - 14 had 4,795 permanent teeth filled and 1,423 temporary teeth
filled. They also had 270 permanent teeth extracted and 858 temporary teeth extracted.
This is more or less the pattern one would expect because deciduous teeth are in
the mouth for a more limited time and their need for fillings would drop as the
children reach the age of ten.
What, however, is alarming is that between the 5 to 9 and the 10 to 14 year age
groups, the number of extractions increased from 94 to 270, and there is also a 25%
increase in the need for fillings in the permanent teeth. The number of fillings and
extractions in the group of 15 years and over is possibly lower because other factors
emerge such as school examinations and perhaps an increased tendency to seek treatment
privately, because it is more grown up to do so. But what does emerge is the vulnerability
of the 10 - 14 year age groups and this must underline the necessity for
treating the children's teeth as early in life as possible.
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