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in one of the outlying parts of the Borough will be required
for this third Dental Officer.
Nevertheless a s???eady improvement in the dental state of the
children is taking place and the position over a period of 17
years has quite changed. In 1929 three part-time Dentists
working 10 sessions per week extracted 5,574 teeth, mostly
under general anaesthetics, which were administered to 1,690
children. In the same year they did 2,390 fillings.
In 1930 a whole-time Dentist was appointed who worked 11
sessions weekly. She was assisted in 1938 by a half-time
Dentist working 6 sessions weekly. From 1942 two whole-time
Dentists have been employed.
Extractions fell and fillings rose until in 1938 for the first
time the latter exceeded the former. Subsequent progress was
interrupted by the war and the evacuation of children, but, in
spite of these conditions, conservative dental work has
continued to exceed extractions. Ninety per cent of the
extractions in 1945 were of temporary teeth and seventy per
cent of the fillings were in permanent teeth.
The importance to health, hygiene and good appearand and
happiness of the development of a sound dental scheme for
children cannot be exagger ted. More boys and girls are
leaving school each year with sound sets of teeth.
Better nutrition helps in maintaining sound teeth and sound
teeth lead to better nutrition - a propitious circle of
great importance in the establishment and maintenance of
good health and physique.
3) Periodical Inspections by the School Nurses:- Inspection
for cleanliness and the condition of boots and clothing is
carried out by the School Nurses as early as possible in every
school term and repeated as necessary to assist in maintaining
a high standard of personal cleanliness.
4) Schemes of Treatment:- A complete scheme of treatment is
available for all school children, Primary and Secondary, at
the School Clinic and the Centres comprising:-
(a) Treatment of Minor Ailments by School Nurses.
(b) Medical Consultations as required or asked for by parents
or teachers.
(c) Dental Treatment.
(d) Ophthalmic, including refraction, squint, diseases of the
eyes or eyelids, orthoptic training.
(e) Treatment of conditions of the Ear, Nose and Throat.
(f) Orthopaedic Treatment.
(g) Speech Therapy, including the treatment of stammering and
defects of art culation.
(h) Psychological Investigations and treatment of difficult
children.
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