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A series of lunchtime health education talks was given by the Health Education Officer to the sixth form
of Dame Alice Owens' Boy's School. Initially presented as an experiment, it is hoped that these will now be
maintained.
More teachers are making use of the services' facilities when preparing their own health education
programmes, by seeking advice and the loan of audio-visual aids, sound films, slides, flannelgraphs, etc.
A dental health puppet show, devised and produced by the Health Education Officer in conjunction
with the I nner London Education Authority Dental Health Education, was presented at 34 primary and inifant
schools in Islington to about 8,000 children. Enthusiastically received by the children this proved to be a
positive way of presenting dental health education to the very young.
Parent/Teacher Associations also sought the services of the Health Education Officer, who explained at
meetings what is being done in the health education field in schools, acquainted the parents with the subjects
which are discussed, and the audio-visual aids which are used. This allays any fears inthe minds of some parents
and enables them to have a better comprehension of some of the more intimate subjects which are raised
during health education sessions. It also allows a two-way flow of communication which may have been
hindered in the past by embarrassment and the inability of parents to communicate with their children.
Requests were received from several Schools for talks by Nursing Officers, Health Visitors and School
Nurses to children of Secondary School age. The topics covered were parent-craft, citizenship, human
relations, puberty etc.
Arrangements were made for small groups of school girls to visit Child Health Centres and Day
Nurseries.
REPORT OF THE PRINCIPAL SCHOOL DENTAL OFFICER AND CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER
In this report on the dental service, which is run on behalf of the Inner London Education Authority
and in concert with the Borough, it is important to stress that what we aim for is to provide as full a service
as staff conditions will permit. Therefore we strive for continuety and it is gratifying that, in spite of the
difficulties in maintaining staff, we do succeed in this. However, unless something is done about improving
the salaries paid to the dental surgery assistants, it will prove very difficult to fill any vacancies which might
occur.
During this year much effort has gone into planning for fresh surgeries and, with River Place Health
Centre scheduled for early 1971, we do have a prospect of expanding and improving the service. In this
connection a word of tribute must be paid to those working at Popham Road, one of the centres to be replaced
by the new health centre, who have carried on despite broken windows and a bombardment of bricks and
stones, which have resulted from the surrounding demolitions. "We never closed" would be a fitting epitaph
for this old clinic.
During the spring of this year a part-time orthodontist was engaged and there has been a slow but
steady growth of this new service. If the progress achieved during 1969 is any indication, it can reasonably
be assumed that another year could see the orthodontic service operating on a full-time basis.
Dental health education has proceeded most satisfactorily and is in effect a growing service. We had a
puppet show, originally sponsored by I.L.E.A., on two sets of occasions-in February and in May-and it made
a very direct impact. This aspect of the service is covered in detail in that section of the Medical Officer of
Health's report which deals with Health Education.
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