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* Serious decay = four or more cariou teeth requiring treatment.
From this table it will be seen that, while among entrants there is no improvement
since 1924 in the proportion of serious dental decay, among the 8-year and
12-year groups the proportion has fallen in 1931 to little more than half of that
recorded in 1924.
These figures do not necessarily mean a lessened incidence in dental disease,
but reflect the efforts of the school dentists and treatment centres to remedy the
deplorable conditions which formerly prevailed, and to a lesser extent still prevail. As
stated in previous reports, the heaviest burden the school medical service has to bear is
undoubtedly the poor condition of the children's teeth, and this is one of the gravest
problems that those whose business it is to study the national health have to consider.
In the statutory age groups 11,923 children were referred for treatment of enlarged
tonsils or adenoid growths ; this is 6 • 6 per cent, of the children examined,
compared with 6 • 7 per cent, in 1930 and 7 in 1929. These nose and throat conditions
are found chiefly among the entrant group, many of the children in the older groups
having already been dealt with before their examination in that age group. Indeed,
the rate of operations carried out under the Council's scheme during the past few
years has been so high as to exceed one-third of the school population during school
life. The percentages requiring treatment for these conditions were :—entrant boys
10-7, girls 10-1 ; 8-year boys 5-1, girls 5-7 ; 12-vear boys 2-7, girls 3-6.
Enlarged
tonsils and
adenoid
growths.
Otorrhcea was noted in 1,717 children, or 1 per cent, of those examined, this
percentage being the same as in 1930. Over half these cases were found in the entrant
group. In no year prior to 1930 was the percentage of children with " running ears "
less than one ; in 1927 the percentage was 1-3 and in 1913 it was over 2 per cent.
The institution of special ear centres for specialist examination of children with
discharging ears has produced a considerable improvement. Consequent upon the
attention paid in the early stages to conditions which, if neglected, produce deafness,
there has been a considerable reduction of the numbers suffering from this defect.
Hardness of hearing was found in 444 children, or only • 2 per cent, of those examined.
This compares favourably with 453 in 1930, 696 in 1929, and 868 in 1927.
Otorrhcea
and hardness
of hearing.
Children in the 8- and 12-year age groups have their visual acuity tested by means
of the Snellen cards, those who wear glasses having their vision tested with their
glasses. In the 8-year old group 45 • 6 per cent, boys and 46 • 1 per cent, girls, and
in the 12-year old group 38-4 per cent, boys and 40-6 per cent, girls were unable to
pass the normal vision test. These figures show an improvement of about 2 per cent,
on the results obtained in 1930, the improvement being probably due to the breaking
down of the prejudice against the wearing of glasses, especially with regard to girls.
Defects of a more serious character (i.e., 6-12 or worse in either eye) occurred in
17 per cent, boys and 16-7 per cent, girls in the 8-year old group, and in 18-3 boys
and 18-8 girls in the 12-year old group. This again shows steady improvement
which has been going on for several years—in 1925 the 8-year old group showed 18-4
per cent, with serious defect, in 1927 the percentage was 18, and in 1929 and 1931
16-8 and 16-9 respectively ; the 12-year old group in 1925 showed a percentage of
Defect of
vision.