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The centre of West End show business is situated within the boundaries of the City and there is a
continual demand for school children to appear in plays, musicals, operas and choral works. Every
school child who is to appear on the stage must be medically examined before the commencement
of the run of the show. These examinations are usually carried out at a special session arranged at
school, unless it happens that a routine school medical inspection is being carried out in the child's
school at the appropriate time.
In spite of certain difficulties the student health service is developing and arrangements have been
made for medical advice to be available to any student either in the college or at City Hall, as is
more convenient.
DENTAL SERVICES
(Mr. Robert E. Kean. L,D.S., R.C.S.(I), Principal Dental Officer)
The City Council's five dental centres continued to be fully functional throughout the year, and as
hitherto, provided a comprehensive service for school children and also for nursing and expectant
mothers, and children under school age.
The attendances at our clinics continue to be highly satisfactory, and it is very gratifying to note
that the ratio of teeth extracted to those being conserved is still on the decline. However, a very
disturbing factor is still evident. The number of decayed, extracted and conserved teeth of the five
year old child on its entrance to school is still far too high, and it is a matter of regret that it has not
yet been possible to adjust the fluoride content of our water supplies to the recommended proportion
of one part per million. There can no longer be any doubt as to the efficacy of water
fluoridation in reducing the incidence of dental caries, and reports in the magazine of the World
Health Organisation, the British Dental Journal, and many other responsible dental magazines
throughout the world, underline the dental benefits to be derived, whilst at the same time emphasising
the lack of any side effects. It is to be hoped that some means will be found to introduce this most
urgently required measure in London in the very near future.
The re-equipping of our surgeries was commenced during the year, and each surgery has now
been provided with the latest type of Dental Lamp, and a number with modern high speed drills
and compressors, and up-to-date Gas/Oxygen machines. It is expected that completion of the
modernisation programme will take place during the coming year, when it is also intended to give
a new look to our waiting rooms, most of which presently bear a somewhat institutional appearance.
On the 22nd June a report on the School Dental Service by the Education Committee of the
Inner London Education Authority was circulated to all the Inner London Boroughs, and amongst
the many recommendations made, was the fundamental change of reintroducing the annual
routine dental inspections in the schools, and the abolition of the optional scheme as piloted by the
former L.C.C. Health Divisions 1 and 9.
Objections to this scheme were made on two main grounds; that it did not meet the Authority's
statutory obligations, and that it prevented regular assessments of the dental health of the school
population as a whole. The effects of this change of policy will not be evident for some time, but
as the inspections are to be carried out on a revised and more thorough basis than in the past, with
particular attention being paid to developing orthodontic defects in the primary school children, it
is certain that an upsurge in the demand for orthodontic treatment will occur.
The Principal Dental Officer has consequently taken steps to meet this expected extra demand,
and with the kind co-operation of Professor Walther, Principal of the Orthodontic Department at
the Royal Dental Hospital, cases of an advanced or complicated nature are now being referred to
him, pending the joint appointments by the Inner London Education Authority and the Inner London
Boroughs of orthodontic specialists.
During the month of September 1966 a Dental Health Exhibition was staged at St. Marylebone
Town Hall for two weeks. The opening ceremony was performed by the Lord Mayor, Councillor
A. L. Burton, and was attended by many distinguished members of the medical and dental professions.
A large room at the Town Hall was converted into a cinema for the period of the Exhibition, and
coloured films depicting all aspects of dental health were shown to the school children, who were a
most enthusiastic and appreciative audience, whilst in the adjoining vestibule a model dental
surgery and many display stands were erected, with models and posters showing the various
stages of preventive and curative dentistry. Demonstrations and discussions with groups of
school children took place in the vestibule, and a special feature was a section devoted to orthodontic
treatment, where lectures and demonstrations by means of models were given by the Principal