London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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tabulate the results of dental inspections in the thorough manner in which the
results of medical inspection are ascertained, and it should be pointed out that many
of the defects are so slight that there is great difficulty in persuading the mother
that anything at all needs doing.
Results.—The results of the first and second re-inspections of the school doctors
during 1925 showed that 70 per cent. of the children found at the primary medical
inspections to require dental treatment eventually obtain the necessary attention.
Similar figures do not exist in regard to the dentists' examinations, and it would
be impossible to obtain them without an exceedingly large amount of clerical work,
which it is impossible for the school care committees and the dental, organising
and clerical staff to give. At the request of the Sub-Committee, a special inquiry was
made in Finsbury some months ago, and it appears that of the children referred
for dental treatment by doctors and dentists in that district, about 50 per cent. were,
in fact, dealt with.
I hat very substantial progress is being made is shown by the following figures :—
| Year. | No. of children inspected by dentist. | No. found by dentist, to require treatment. | Percentage found to require treatment,. | No. treated at the Council's centres. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) |
| 1916 | ||||
It will be observed that in 1915 the dentists found that 81.79 of the children
examined needed treatment and that this percentage has been reduced to 69.54 in
1925.
It should be explained that the numbers given in column (5) include cases which
attended as a result of the school doctors' inspections as well as those referred by
the school dentists. On the other hand, in addition to the children who attend
at the Council's centres, a number receive treatment from private dentists and
institutions not included in the Council's arrangements.
For all practical purposes the position statistically in regard to dental work
can be deduced from the comparison of the number of children found at inspections
to be in need of treatment during the year with the number actually treated at
the Council's centres, together with an estimate (based on the results of medical
inspections) of the number of children treated by private dentists and hospitals
outside the scheme.
| Number referred for treatment. | Number treated. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) At medical inspections | 69,778 | (1) At Council's centres | 112,964 |
| (6) At dental inspections | 182,524 | (2) By private dentists and at institutions not included in Council's arrangements (estimated) | 15,000 |
| 252,302 | |||
| 13,051 | |||
| - | 239,251 | 127,964 | |
Conversion of inspection sessions into treatment sessions.—In 1923 the Council
agreed to a scheme by which the dental inspections should be largely increased in