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17
Dental Health Education
Because of present staffing limitations little time can be
spared from the chairside for public talks on dental matters and
it is felt that activities of this sort are best left to be conducted
through other available media. Since her appointment to
the Health Department a useful liaison has existed with the
Health Education Officer, and instruction on the practical
aspects of Oral Hygiene is now included in the Syllabus of
General Health talks at schools; when time permits this is also
supplemented by the showing of appropriate dental films.
At the recent Local Government Exhibition a display panel
was included on "Decay Prevention ; a colour film on this
subject was also presented during the week.
Inspections
The number of children on the register at maintained schools
within the Borough at the close of 1958 was 37,116. Including
an additional 49 scholars at grant assisted schools this represents
a sum total of 37,165.
During the year 85 per cent, of the school population were
examined, compared with 82 per cent, in 1957. Despite this increase
in overall coverage frequency of inspection in areas of
high acceptance is well below this level, whilst in the New
Addington district there has been an understandable decline.
According to recent returns some 3,737 children received no
examination during 1958, compared with 5,145 last year.
At those schools visited 31,574 were inspected and 14,789
(46.8 per cent.) referred for treatment, compared with 30,553
inspected and 15,024 (49.2 per cent.) referred in 1957.
As is customary at these inspections certain discrimination
is observed in the matter of selecting cases for treatment and
the above figures should not therefore be regarded as an index
of the actual incidence of decay.
The results obtained from school inspections were as follows:
Acceptance of Treatment 41.4%
Refused Treatment 45.2%
Forms Not Returned 13.4%
Compared with last year this represents a fall of 3.1 per
cent, in the acceptance rate, and a total decrease of some 32.7
Per cent, since the peak of 1949. If for further comparison the
figure of 58 per cent, acceptance is taken to represent conditions
during the pre-war period, it is interesting to not that
the present decline appears to be one of approximately 17 per
cent.