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215
NURSING MOTHERS.
Age of baby when mother was first seen: —
1-3 4-6 7-9 Over 9
months. months. months. months.
% Mothers seen 1932 36.7 36.2 18.3 9.8
1933 38.7 32.0 18.6 10.7
There are some mothers who seem to be alarmed at undergoing
treatment during pregnancy, and wait until the nursing
period before attending the Clinic. In such cases treatment must
be confined to the elimination of pain and sepsis. The scheme
was organised for the benefit of the child, and if mothers do not
seek treatment during pregnancy, dental treatment must be
restricted accordingly.
THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD.
The dental examination of young children in many cases
reveals very advanced dental disease. Some of the dentitions
are so ravaged by dental decay that impairment of health must
result if the condition is not treated.
It would appear from a brief study of the number of young
children examined that some mothers are not taking full advantage
of the facilities for dental treatment of their children. There
are mothers who forget that child welfare centres are institutions
for the education and supervision of the health of the child up to
the age of five years.
It seems that mothers are particularly keen on bringing their
children to see the dentist up to the age of two years, and they
appear very concerned about small defects that usually right
themselves, but when the child gets older such attendance and
keenness at the Centres appears to decline.
This apathy on the part of mothers throws an unnecessary
burden on the School Dental Service, and it accounts for the high
incidence of dental defects in the entrant school child. Only 10%
of the entrant school children in 1933 were brought to the Clinic
for dental treatment during the pre-school period.