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NUMBER OF TREATMENT SESSIONS
In 1960 the percentage (57.2) of the school population inspected showed an increase of
seven per cent. over the previous year. It is, however, encouraging to note that in those
inspected there was apparently a continued improvement in the mass picture of dental
health. For the third successive year there was a three per cent. reduction in the percentage
found requiring treatment and the figure quoted (for 2,473 inspection sessions) of 67.6 per
cent, is the lowest on record (table (ii)).
It would be wrong however to regard this apparent improvement with greater satisfaction
than it deserves. There is little room for complacency in a picture revealing two out of
every three children at any given date in need of dental treatment ! The professional
aspect of the matter is that all children should receive a thorough dental check at least
once a year. With the staff and facilities available the best the service was able to do in
1960 was to inspect rather cursorily a little over half of the children and treat only 77,781
(table (ii)). It is to be hoped, for the sake of children's dental welfare, that many parents
and guardians did indeed obtain 'private' treatment, as the service discharged as
' dentally fit' only 50,584.
In table (iii) a welcome symptom may be noted—the rising quality of the service for the
children accepting treatment. The ratio of permanent teeth filled to permanent teeth
extracted improved for another year and reached the highest level recorded, viz., 7.57
filled to one extracted. Although revisional treatment cannot yet be officially countenanced,
it is well known that in some treatment centres a measure of unofficial revision was in fact
operating to the benefit of some patients, if to the exclusion of others, perhaps less
co.operative in their attendances and response. This degree of unofficial revisional treatment
casts doubt on the validity of the discharge figure (50,584), as at least some of this number
may be duplicates.
115
H*