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3
Dental Health
The Principal School Dental Officer mentions again the
changing pattern in demands for school dentistry. Parents
refuse treatment by the School Dental Service with the excuse
that the child is attending a private Dentist, when in fact no
routine dentistry is being obtained. It is for this reason that
programmes of Dental Health Education have become even more
necessary, and are receiving serious attention.
New Development
The opening of the Waddon Clinic gave much needed Dental
and School Health Service facilities for the southern part of
the Borough. The Psychiatrist to the Child Guidance Clinic
mentions the need for a day observation and treatment unit for
psychotic children. A good deal of thought has been given to
such a project, and on balance it seems primarily a responsibility
for the Hospital service rather than the duty of an
Education Authority. Some teaching facilities will certainly be
needed, but the analogy seems the part-time service of a teacher
to a Hospital unit rather than the attendance of Psychiatrists
and other therapists, at an educational establishment. The extension
of the partially hearing classes to include older children
was initiated, and it is hoped that this will operate during
1964.
An increase in the establishment of Speech Therapists will
allow more treatment sessions, and the policy of providing these
in outlying clinics, for example, at Waddon, is being followed.
It is with pleasure that I record the continued help and
co-operation of Head Teachers, into whose Schools we sometimes
intrude at difficult times.
The Chief Education Officer and members of his staff have
invariably met our requests for additional facilities with a
helpful and sympathetic response.
Finally, on behalf of the staff of the Department, I thank
the Members of the Committee for their unfailing readiness to
support and encourage our efforts to improve the services for
the children for whom we are responsibleL
Public Health Dept.,
Croydon.