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109
date no satisfactory replacements have been forthcoming. More
recently two dentists have been engaged on a part-time basis to
help with arrears of work, but this has only slightly eased the
situation.
At the moment additional staff is urgently required to assist
in the treatment of children at New Addington and other outlying
districts of the Borough. At present the only available facilities
for such patients are those at Lodge Road Clinic, and this
involves considerable loss of time travelling by parents.
The numerical strength of the staff is now four full-time and
two part-time dental officers. This is considerably below the
establishment required to deal with the school population of
approximately 29,000 children.
The fact that one dental surgeon's time is devoted entirely to
work for the Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme further reduces
the personnel available for Education purposes, and necessitates
a potential "panel" of 7,000 children per dental officer. This is
more than twice the number that any officer can be expected to
handle during the twelve months period.
The time lapse between successive school inspections is now
approximately 18 months, and in certain cases this period has
recently extended to over two years. The infrequency of these
visits compares most unfavourably with the annual minimum
recommended by the Ministry.
Inspections.
The number of children on the register at Primary and
Secondary Schools within the Borough at (he close of 1949 was
29,106. Including an additional 109 free-place scholars at nonmaintained
schools this represents a sum total of 29,215.
Of these, 20,478 were inspected and 9,404 (46 per cent.)
referred for treatment, compared with 18,706 inspected and 9,432
referred in 1948.
The above results indicate a further reduction of 4.4 per cent.
in the number requiring treatment. This figure cannot, however,
be said to represent a true record, as many children are now forced
to receive emergency treatment before their respective schools
are visited and, therefore, do not "register" any defects; in the
light of prevailing conditions it is doubtful whether this figure
exceeds the 2 per cent. recorded last year.