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105
disease is endemic from one generation to the next, its transmission
and nature pose the twin problems of treatment and prevention.
In spite of the extra time which has been devoted to the increased
inspection programme, the volume of treatment being provided in
the Council's dental surgeries has not diminished. There has been
an overall increase in the amount of work done as well as in the
more advanced forms of treatment. The stage has now been
reached where this level of treatment must continue and at the
same time preventive measures must be planned and integrated
with it. The annual dental inspection which is the primary step in
prevention is going well and much of its success can be attributed
to the ready co-operation of head teachers.
Our achievements during the year would not have been possible
without the enthusiasm and willing co-operation of the staff. Mr.
P. Mertz retired from full-time clinical work in August after sixteen
years' service as a dental officer. He has been missed by many
of his patients and their parents. The head teachers of schools in the
Battersea area still welcome him at inspections because he has
been keen to continue in this capacity on a part-time basis. Staffing
has not been a problem because of the number of enquiries
we receive for full-time and sessional posts and we have been
able to maintain our full establishment throughout the year. The
average age of the present dental officer staff is 39 years.
A surgery was established in Spencer Park School (senior boys)
during the year and has operated on a part-time basis for two
terms. The immediate benefits are a complete elimination of the
failure rate, mimimal loss of school-time for pupils and a higher
work output per session. The lack of X-ray developing facilities
is a handicap but an interesting bonus is that third to sixth year
pupils can be inspected without any interference with lesson time at
all. Normally their inspection is a very difficult procedure for
secondary school staffs because the pupils are continually changing
their groups throughout the day as opposed to the class system
of the younger age groups.
When the new treatment centre was opened at Tooting at the
end of July, the dental staff had the pleasure of moving into a
new, purpose-built, double-surgeried suite. This type of accommodation
is very attractive and offers far superior working conditions
to those where surgeries are accommodated in converted
houses.
The Inner London Education Authority mobile surgeries were
used on four occasions during the year. They were taken for
a spring and autumn visit to Linden Lodge School for the blind,
a week at Oak Lodge School for deaf children and for a week at
the Wandsworth Junior Training School for mentally handicapped
pupils. These visits are certainly welcomed by the school staffs,
if not quite so enthusiastically by the children.