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112
Annual Report of Clinic Dental Surgeon.
To the Medical Officer of Health.
Sir,
The Dental Clinic in connection with the Old Ford Maternity and
Child Welfare Centre has now been in operation for one year ; the first
session was held on April 7th, 1920, and thereafter once weekly till
March 30th, 1921. I beg to submit a report on our progress:—
I.—From the records kept we find that—
53 Sessions have been held, two hours each, representing 106
hours.
114 Patients have been treated and finished, with the exception
of a few current cases.
365 Attendances have been made at the clinic.
532 Teeth have been extracted.
63 Teeth have been filled.
23 Dentures have been fitted.
II.—From these figures we may deduce the following information
in averages-
Average number of patients dealt with at each session... 6.80
Average number of attendances per patient ... ... 3.20
Average number of patients treated and finished per
session *2.15
III.—Treatment.—Extraction, so far, is the largest heading under
which treatment falls, with subsequent fitting of artificial dentures-.
Scaling is found to be of the greatest importance (with which is included
various forms of gum treatment). Fillings, at present, are possibly
the smallest item. I am of opinion that the order of importance should
be reversed, to reach the ideal , but the following facts must be remembered.
We have a condition of affairs in which dental treatment has
been absent till quite recently. The results are mouths in which dental
disease is of very long standing. We are therefore only treating the
urgent cases which come for relief from pain and discomfort now. These
have passed the conservative stage. It is to be anticipated, therefore,
that in time the urgent cases will have been worked off to a great extent,
and we shall then be able, through the education and enlightenment of
the people, to treat cases in the first stages of dental disease instead of
the last.
* From a knowledge of the foul and neglected mouths of the majority of patients, this
average number is surprising.