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NUMBER OF TREATMENT SESSIONS
The graph of treatment sessions shows the continuance of the steady decline since the peak
year of 1957. The explanation lies in the declining demand on the service, resulting from
the alleged drift towards use of the general dental service. During 1962 it was no longer
necessary to conduct an urgent recruitment campaign and, in fact, recruitment of staff
became once more a matter of selection. Another important sequel to the falling demand
was ability to permit a much fuller measure of revisional treatment for children who had
been rendered dentally fit. This essential form of dental care for the developing mouth is
established as routine in most 'private' and general dental service practices; because of
overwhelming previous demands on school dental services, until last year it has had to be
virtually prohibited in the treatment centres. Without revisional treatment much of the
benefit to children from dental treatment is lost and it is a matter for professional satisfaction
that, although fewer children may have been treated, for many more than formerly
the treatment in 1962 was of a rising standard. For the sixth successive year this improvement
in standard is reflected in table (iii);—the ratio of permanent teeth extracted to
permanent teeth filled was almost 1 to 10, an improvement to view with some satisfaction
but not complacency.
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