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6. Stamps are identifiable to the extent that they distinguish between the
general dental practitioner, the school dental service and the London Hospital
by individual markings on the stamps but specific practitioners, clinics,
etc. cannot be traced.
7. At the commencement of the scheme a handout describing the system and its
objectives in simple terms was issued to the children, parents and teachers,
so that everyone would know what was involved and thus potential help and
co-operation was initiated.
Routine:
After the initial circulation of stamp books and rules to those providing dental
treatment, charts to schools and handouts to parents and children, it is essential that
the scheme be kept well publicized and 'on the boil'. Teachers, dentists, parents etc.
- let alone children - all lose enthusiasm after a while and need reminding at regular
intervals. The dental health stamp scheme is apart only of the picture of dental health
education and routine dental inspections in the schools. Integrated with a full
programme of dental stimulation and treatment it can provide the in format ion and
motivation which is necessary to obtain positive results - 'dental health in action'.
The wall charts have to be opened daily by class teachers to receive stamps .Each
individual class is visited regularly by a dental auxiliary who issues badges to * ten
stampers' and uses the closed wall chart as a basis for general teaching. When opened
out with stamps showing it is used to check the dental progressof individual children.
The dental auxilnary also uses the chart after the routine school dental inspection to
relate treatment needs as shown at examination to the known treatment pattern as shown
by each child's stamp collection.
The spirit of inter-class competition can be stimulated by the headteacher at
school assembly and 'stamp ladders' etc, can be devised to show the related progress
of each class.
Routine servicing of local practitioners etc. with new stamp books when necessary,
is reasonably simple, whilst dental health education material is offered for their
individual use.
Results
Being part only of an integrated system of dental health stimulation in the area
it is impossible to assess the effect of the dental health stamps on their own. Suffice
to say that those involved with the scheme are satisfied that it has already had a
considerable' effect on the children involved in getting increasing numbers of them
regularly to seek inspection and treatment.
The original individual collecting cards were withdrawn because so may of them got
lost, stolen or strayed, but the new wall charts will, it is hoped, be equally if
not more effective.
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