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45
The total number of children inspected in the periodic age
groups was 22,278. From this number 11,601 were inspected as
non-routine or special cases. The total number inspected is greater
for the year by 1,667, to that of 1947.
The number of children found to require treatment and
actually given treatment, totalled 9,014 and 6,771 respectively.
These figures are again greater than those of the preceding year;
when 6,105 were treated. 12,154 attendances were required to
complete the treatment.
The number of sessions devoted to inspections and treatment
were 135J and 1,145 respectively.
The number of permanent teeth filled amounted to 3,746
and the number of temporary teeth filled totalled 952. The number
for the previous year for this work was 4,830 and 866 respectively.
The total number of fillings for the present year amounted to
4,698.
The total number of extractions for both permanent and
temporary teeth amounted to 7,714; of this number 1,085 were
permanent and 6,629 were temporary.
Other operations include, dressings of many kinds, chiefly
zinc oxide and silver nitrate. Of these 2,313 were inserted in
teeth of both dentitions. Scaling and gum treatments were given
to 146 children, and 79 received gum treatment.
The number of children receiving orthodontic appliances
totalled 176. The total attendances for old and new cases receiving
this treatment during the year amounted to 1,099 visits. In the
previous year 135 children were fitted with appliances.
In addition to this work four children were fitted with artificial
dentures and six children had fractured incisor teeth restored with
artificial crowns.
The treatment of malocclusion, fitting of artificial dentures,
and crown restorations is specialised treatment, and it requires
a great amount of time to complete the case satisfactorily.
The opening of the new orthodontic centre during 1949 and
the employment of a specialist in the work, will give dental officers
more time for routine work, such as fillings and extractions and
other operations.