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48
New Clinics.
Two new dental clinics were opened during the year.
Laurel House Clinic serves South Ealing and was opened in
June.
Abbey Parade Clinic, West Twyford, serves the north-east
part of the Ealing Borough. This clinic was also opened in June.
Shortage of staff makes it only possible to run these clinics
on a very limited part-time basis. The former clinic is open for
one session per week whilst the latter is attended two sessions per
week. These new clinics are extremely well equipped and are
furnished to unit standard.
The opening of these new clinics has considerably reduced
the travelling time for cildren whose schools are in the vicinity
of these centres.
Statistical Survey and Interpretation.
The child/dental officer ratio works out at appreciably over
7,000 to 1 in this area and accounts for a very high percentage of
attendances of emergency cases. 55% of the attendances made
were by these special cases which accordingly reduced the number
of routine cases that could receive treatment. The restricted
scheme, however, enabled a semblance of ordered inspection and
treatment to be undertaken. This is a system upon which, as a
factor in the wider field of preventive medicine, the school dental
service is based and a system to which it is hoped it will one day
return.
The alteration of policy with regard to the restricted scheme
in order to bring it into line with the recommendations of the
Ministry of Education has resulted in a marked increase in the
number of fillings in permanent teeth as compared with the year
1950. These recommendations are that the accent of conservative
effort should be on the permanent dentition where the staffing
position is insufficient to provide a full service. The total number
of fillings in permanent teeth in 1950 was 3,308. The comparable
figure for 1951 is 5,518. This increase is balanced by the corresponding
decrease in the number of fillings done in temporary teeth
which are as follows: 1950, a total of 4,570 fillings; 1951, a total
of 2,081 fillings. This latter figure would have been substantially
lower but for the fact that the alteration of the age group for
routine treatment did not commence until 1st April, 1951.