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158
by an officer engaged also in private practice. Mr. Oddie was
responsible for seeing that the initial steps in school dentistry were
properly laid down, and it is due in considerable measure to his
personal interest in the work, and his popularity with the
children, that the work developed a solid foundation during its
earlier stages. I am indebted to Mr. Senior for a report on the
year's work, from which the following extracts are taken.
Dental Inspection,—During the year dental inspection, reinspections,
and treatment was confined to children of the agegroups
5, 6, 7 and 8 years, together with a certain number of
children sent for special or urgent reasons.
6,211 children were examined in these four age-groups, and
of these 75 per cent, had defective teeth, as against 82 per cent,
in 1924. This reduction in the number of children requiring treatment
reflects the result of treatment received by the children of
6 and 7 year groups in 1924.
The report for 1924 contained an analysis of the condition of
the teeth of all children examined bv Mr. Senior. A similar
analysis of examinations during 1925, compared with that of 1924,
shews : —

These figures demonstrate clearly the importance of children
completing treatment, and they also shew the improvement in the
condition of children treated previously.
Dental Treatment.
4,687 children were referred for treatment from routine dental
inspections, 2,712 accepted—57.8% compared with 43% during
1924.
This increase in the number of parents accepting treatment is
good, and would be quite satisfactory if it could be shewn that the
remaining 42.2% had received treatment privately, as many of them