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73
with the Dental Department. Accordingly the Dental Surgeon
has not access to the Committee concerned, and the Committee
have no one to advise them on Dental matters.
It would, therefore, add to the efficiency of the Service, if the
Dental Department was prganised in conjunction with the Medical
Department, the Dental Surgeon being responsible to the Committee
direct, and have access to their Meetings in order to advise or suggest
on matters of Dental interest. One Dental Surgeon assisted by
one Dental Nurse can attend to the teeth of 3,000 children annually
and, in addition, treat any Dental defects in adults on one, or at the
most, two sessions weekly. This is insufficient if we are to attain
the ideal, namely, Prevention of Dental Caries. I, therefore, suggest
that an increase in perspnnel is necessary for the Dental Department
in the form of:—
1. Assistant whole-time Dental Surgeon.
2. Assistant whole-time Dental Nurse.
3. A whole-time Dental Mechanic.
Explanations for the Increased Staff.
1. Each child attending the Elementary Schools should have
his or her teeth inspected and, if necessary, treated, not once, but
at least twice annually. At present each child can only be seen once
annually.
2. Propaganda is necessary in the form of personal visitation
or failing that by means of pamphlets, lectures pr articles in the
Local Journal. The object of this propaganda would be to
encourage cleanliness, reduce the percentage of refusals, correct the
diet of children between the ages of birth and five years of age,
etc. This requires a considerable amount of time and careful
preparation, which cannot be attempted successfully without
assistance.
la. Cleanliness.—The main cause of uncleanliness in the
mouths of school children I find on investigation to be mainly
due to the fact that the parents of these children cannot afford