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dental disease, and teeth already filled. These figures are also averaged out in each
age group so that the pattern of dental caries is shown. The state of the oral hygiene
in each age group is also shown, as are: the number of children dentally fit, those
requiring treatment, and those requiring orthodontic consultation Further record is made
of those children requiring urgent or considerable treatment and these, together with
those found to have poor oral hygiene, are listed by name for the head teacher to take such
action as he may think fit. The number of parents opting for the School Dental Service,
opting for other practitioners or the Hospital service, and those who did not reply, are
recorded. In this way, the school staff are fully informed of the results of the
inspection and can become involved in dealing with the problem if they so desire. The
figures quoted allow all concerned to see whether the effect of inspection, treatment and
Dental Health Education is in fact producing results The practical effect of this
exercise in improving the relationship between dental and educational staff and involving
teachers in dental health is already being felt.
(c) Treatment
Treatment was needed by three quarters of the children in Tower Hamlets, examined in
school in 1967. It is obviously impossible for the dental staff in our own clinics to
cope with the dental restorations required by twenty five thousand children. At present,
inspections are limited in schools where treatment facilities at the local clinic are
overstretched. It is, however, entirely wrong for children and their parents to be
deprived of information regarding their treatment needs because these needs cannot be met
within our own Service, In future, and until our treatment facilities are greatly
expanded, this situation must be admitted and means found to meet the problem, It may
well be necessary to tell parents that there are long waiting lists at their local clinic
and the opportunity of obtaining treatment with local General Dental Practitioners
willing to treat young children will have to be promoted.
The treatment provided in the clinics continues to be of an overwhelmingly conservative
nature. An increase in the number of fillings completed, from 10,406 in 1966 to
16,324 in 1967, (8,889 in permanent and 7,435 in temporary teeth) is satisfactory.
Extractions include only 195 permanent and 1,018 temporary teeth, showing an overall
ratio of permanent teeth filled to permanent teeth extracted of 45.6:1, and temporary
teeth filled to temporary teeth extracted of 7.3:1, Compared with the national average
for fillings to extractions of 5.3:1 (permanent) and 0.6:1 (temporary), the Borough ' s
figures may be accounted very satisfactory.
Grave concern is still felt for the number of broken appointments at our clinics.
49.9% of new cases who had asked for appointments after school dental inspections did not
attend and there were 31.4% broken appointments during subsequent treatment for those who
did attend after school dental inspections, (6,339 broken appointments out of 20,135
appointments given for treatment). This situation can only be remedied by the influence
of the dental personnel at the clinics themselves and they are asked to take such action
as they may think fit to meet the local conditions in their area and the whims of the
individual patients.
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