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 1937

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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Table: The subjoined table shows the number of children dentally inspected, and the number found to require treatment:—

The subjoined table shows the number of children dentally inspected, and the number found to require treatment:—

YearNumber of children inspectedNumber found to require treatmentPercentage
191456,49146,29081.94
191569,51656,86481.79
191681,79466,62481.45
191789,96271,44779.42
1918106,58683,06877.99
1919144,456112,22777.68
1920154,347115,61974.91
1921151,395111,25073.48
1922192,730137,48771.33
1923236,658166,45470.33
1924256,542178,80269.69
1925262,482182,52469.53
1926237,022163,42268.94
1927224,553157,53770.15
1928226,279156,00168.94
1929240,040163,11467.95
1930251,251165,61665.91
1931268,545173,18064.48
1932273,737174,08963.86
1933275,213175,55963.79
1934273,672176,50964.49
1935290,021183,03563.11
1936306,969193,99063.39
1937315,016215,24368.32

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With regard to treatment, the number of children dealt with at the hospitals
and centres in the Council's scheme during the year was 138,437 compared with
144,416 during the year 1936. Details of the work undertaken will be found in table
IV, group IV, at the end of this report.
It will be seen that while the total number of children treated was less than
during the year 1936, the figures for the conservation of teeth, both in the permanent
and temporary dentition, were greater, as is evidenced by the number of fillings
(132,532 in permanent teeth and 21,324 in temporary teeth) undertaken during the
year, compared with 124,881 and 19,539 during the year 1936, an increase of 9,436
fillings.
At the same time, the number of extractions has been reduced from 60,377
permanent teeth and 257,103 temporary teeth in 1936 to 57,252 permanent and
226,921 temporary teeth during the year 1937, a total reduction of 33,307 extractions.
This is a tribute to the increased attention being paid by parents and dentists alike
to the conservation of teeth as distinct from extractions. It, however, takes much
more time to conserve than to extract, and it has been necessary to authorise many
extra sessions at the centres in order to deal with the increased amount of conservative
treatment undertaken. Sound conservative treatment is the essence of good
dental service, and every effort is being made to improve still further the standard
of work undertaken at the centres.
The special dental centre established by the Manor Charitable Trust at Berkshire
Road school in 1933, enlarged its activities in the past year to include children
from Gainsborough Road school to which the older children from Berkshire Road
are drafted under the Hadow re.organisation scheme. The number of children inspected
was 1,613, and of these, 1,189 (73.7 per cent.) were found in need of treatment.
The number of children treated was 654.
Orthodontics
Following the original orthodontic scheme at the Battersea, Deptford, Hammersmith,
Prunella and St. Mary Newington centres, which was held in abeyance in