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(6) DENTAL SERVICES.
Mr.Foy, Senior Dental Surgeon, has submitted to me
the following report:-
During the year ending December 31st, 1941,
some handicap to the Dental Scheme has existed, owing
to the loss of the Woodward Clinic due to enemy
action, and to the use of the dental premises of the
Central Clinic by the Civil Defence as a Gas
Cleansing Station, The value of this could be
regarded as equal to the loss of ,75 of the services
of one Dental Surgeon on Education conservative
treatment, but the loss was not absolute, as the
Dental Staff, by acting as Dental Anaesthetist to
each other, instead of calling on the medical staff,
were able to utilize sessions to advantage.
Evacuated children who returned to Barking,
presented individual oral conditions far less
satisfactory than one might reasonably expect had
they received routine examination and treatment in
Barking, and considerably more time per child was
spent in restoring such mouths to a state of dental
fitness than under normal circumstances.
No blame or reproach may be made against
Reception Authorities, who must have been sorely
taxed by the responsibility of examination and
treatment of a number of children far in excess of
their peace-time anticipations, and often working
with a depleted staff. It is ironical that those
children v/hose parents were unwilling to consent to
a National Request to evacuate children, should
remain favourably placed for health services, but
should he mostly those whose past nistory had been one of
indifference to those services. The constant refusals
remained at home, and the constant acceptances intelligently
departed.
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