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 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Orthodontics
Table IV shows, for the fifth successive year, improvement in the number of orthodontic
treatments undertaken but it is unfortunate that in 1955 the Hospital Service (Part II,
N.H.S.) was unable to accept a greater number of patients for this special form of dental
care. The loss of treatment in the hospitals was to some extent off-set at the new Province
of Natal Centre by four additional sessions a week specifically for orthodontic treatment
introduced by the Council in October.
Table IV
| 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of special orthodontic sessions | 245 | 134 | 138 | 134 | 185 |
| Number accepted at special orthodontic sessions | 117 | 85 | 80 | 98 | 195 |
| Number accepted at routine sessions | — | 209 | 290 | 389 | 432 |
| Number referred to hospitals | — | — | 100 | 127 | 59 |
| Total number of patients accepted | 117 | 294 | 470 | 614 | 686 |
The steady increase in the number of orthodontic patients accepted at the Council s
routine dental sessions is indicative of the more thorough treatment for individual
patients made possible by the evenly balanced sessional case loading system now in
operation. There is no doubt that with smaller numbers of patients attending each
session more constructive and conservative treatment is being given than could be
possible if waiting rooms were more heavily loaded.
Maternity and child welfare dental service
The very slow growth in the maternity and child welfare dental service commented
upon in 1954 continued throughout 1955 and an increase of 212 sessions on the previous
year was obtained—to some extent by continuing to utilise voluntary evening sessions.
All applications for treatment from expectant and nursing mothers and children
under five were met but, for another year, it was impracticable to organise systematic
dental inspection of all potential patients, nor was it possible to follow-up reluctant
patients. Table V shows comparative figures.
Table V
Attendances and treatments of maternity and child welfare patients
| 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of ordinary sessions | 2,031 | 2,505 | 2,780 | 2,992 |
| Number of general anaesthetic sessions | 306 | 299 | 253 | 228 |
| Number of appointments offered | 24,609 | 30,441 | 33,797 | 35,854 |
| Attendances—by appointment | 18,995 | 22,675 | 24,692 | 26,430 |
| —other | 2,162 | 2,122 | 1,873 | 1,526 |
| Silver nitrate treatment | 2,907 | 4,256 | 4,433 | 5,058 |
| Fillings | 8,852 | 11,074 | 12,312 | 13,212 |
| Extractions | 8,463 | 9,565 | 10,157 | 9,177 |
| Dentures supplied—new full | 310 | 373 | 461 | 572 |
| —new partial | 400 | 520 | 646 | 686 |
| Number made dentally fit | 5,479 | 6,818 | 6,802 | 7,117 |
Dental service in boarding schools and residental establishments
At most of the Council's boarding schools and residential establishments dental services
to meet local requirements were in operation throughout the year. These services
were obtained by use of visiting dental officers wherever possible or by engagement of
local practitioners in their own premises. A variety of contracts had to be made to meet
recruitment difficulties and, in consequence, accurate records of work done are not
available for comparison with previous years.
I would record my thanks to and appreciation of the efforts of all dental staff who
have assisted throughout another difficult year.
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