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There appears to be very little difference in the percentages of
boys and girls with sound teeth up to the 11 year old age group,
but from the 12 year old group upwards more girls have health}'
teeth than boys.
Treatment.
The aggregate of the treatment sessions was 1,551 as against
1,179 in 1936. The total number of children treated during the
past year was 10,404 compared with 6,899 in 1936, an increase of
3,505. Treatments completed totalled 5,194. The total number
of fillings in permanent teeth was 8,603, which is an increase of
2,349 on last year's total, and fillings in temporary teeth numbered
923 as against 399 in the previous year. The sum-total of all
fillings was 9,526. This is an improvement in the number of conservative
treatments upon last year. The ratio of inspection
sessions to treatment sessions was 1: 15 compared with 1: 8 for the
whole country.
All cavities prepared for synthetic porcelain fillings were lined
with cement before the insertion of fillings. In practically all silver
amalgam fillings the cavities were also lined with non-conductive
cement. Whether a cavity is lined or not before the insertion
of the filling material only one filling is recorded.
The number of fillings per 100 children treated was 91 in 1937,
compared with 90 in 1936. The number of permanent teeth
extracted per 100 children treated was 28 in 1937, as against 32 in
the previous year.
Under the heading of "other operations" a great deal of conservative
work has been done. These treatments totalled 4,061
which compares favourably with 3,542 in 1936. In this total is
included 1,627 zinc oxide dressings, 123 dressings inserted in temporary
teeth, 163 applications of silver nitrate, 44 gum treatments,
294 scalings, capping of exposed nerves, temporary cement fillings
and 29 root fillings in anterior teeth. Special treatments included
the fitting of two porcelain crowns, the splinting of two fractured
centrals, extirpation of nerves under local anaesthesia, 7 cases of
fraenectomy, and the insertion of 8 vulcanite dentures to replace
unper incisors lost through caries or traumatic injury.
Extraction of Teeth.
The number of permanent teeth removed because of their
carious condition increased from 2,182 in 1936 to 2,946 in 1937.
Those extracted for orthodontic purposes totalled 65. There was