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Dental treatment of mentally and physically handicapped children who are in
special schools and training centres presents a particular challenge to the Dental
Service and these children frequently require the services of a skilled paedodontist.
Whilst it is hoped that the new two-surgery clinic at Leopold Street will meet the
needs of many of these children who can be transported to a clinic, the concept of
taking dentistry to these children in school must be considered. A mobile dental
caravan, two of which are about to be made available by the Inner London Education
Authority to the Inner London Boroughs, will be taken to special schools experimentally
during 1967.
This borough's children are particularly fortunate in having the orthodontic
department and all other specialist dental departments readily available to them at
The London Hospital Dental Institute when the need arises.
Premises and Equipment
It is important that the dental clinics should avoid being institutional in
appearance. They require a high standard of equipment and decoration in order that
the image of the service may be improved. Of the nine dental surgeries in use at
the beginning of the year, all but one needed major re-equipping and redecoration to
meet modern requirements. Three of these surgeries cannot be made acceptable without
complete rebuilding.
During 1966 re-equipment was commenced and some progress achieved with
the provision of operating lights in all the surgeries and some high speed drills.
It is hoped that 1967 will see the complete modernisation of all our clinics.
Provision has been made and detailed planning has taken place for five additional
new dental surgeries to be provided during 1967. A two-surgery dental suite is at
present under construction at the new school treatment and clinic centre being
built at Leopold Street. With the co-operation of the architects, modifications to
the original plans for a single surgery clinic were made and this has allowed a special
dental clinic for handicapped and "difficult" children to be devised. Three new
surgeries have been planned in existing premises which allow for two-surgery clinics
at Old Ford Clinic, Ruston Street, and Bethnal Green Clinic, Lyte Street, and the
third surgery for orthodontics at Ida Samuel Clinic, Underwood Road. All these
surgeries should be functioning by the end of 1967.
89.