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changes, the number of surgeries available and the ratio of potential patients to
dental officers. These factors have been the main difficulties that have had to
be faced during the year.
It would appear that there are three basic responsibilities of a school dental
service
1. Regular school dental inspections
2. Provision of comprehensive treatment for those patients that opt
for school dental service treatment
3. Dental Health Education
School Dental Inspections
These are essential in order to alert both children and parents to the need
for regular dental care. Apart from the provision of patients for the school
dental service, the inspections undoubtedly prompt parents to visit or re-visit
their own dental surgeries in the general dental service. While there is no great
difficulty in arranging for school dental inspections, regard has to be paid to
two often conflicting responsibilities. There is a responsibility to the whole
school population and a responsibility to treat children requiring school dental
service treatment, within a reasonable time after the inspection. Neither of these
responsibilities can be lightly disregarded and therefore during the year a compromise
had to be reached. 14,562 pupils at 53 schools had their first inspection
of the year with 60.9% found to require treatment, including first inspections
in a surgery.
Comprehensive Treatment
The ability to carry out comprehensive treatment is partly dependent on the
availability of modern equipment, together with a wide range of materials and
instruments, these our surgeries now have. In reviewing the treatment carried
out, it should be noted that owing to a period when there was a shortage of
dental officers, the number of sessions was less than in the previous year.
6,887 fills were carried out in permanent teeth and 5,705 in deciduous teeth and
this emphasises the importance attached to the preservation of the temporary
teeth. Provision is made for orthodontic cases and apart from those cases
treated by the staff, the Dental Department of King's College Hospital has always
been most helpful in giving advice or providing treatment.
Dental Health Education
This is carried out at the chairside and in schools, Special arrangements
were made for a talk and films to be given for a group of pupils at a large
comprehensive school as part of a school course on health education.