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57
Discontinuation of the Restricted Scheme.
With the greatly improved staffing position it became possible
during the latter part of the year to discontinue the restricted
scheme which had been in operation in the Ealing part of the area
since 1950. The purpose of this scheme was to offer to a certain
section of the school population, in this case the 7—11 year old age
group, full treatment at approximately yearly intervals. At the
time of the introduction of the scheme the number of dental
officers on the staff was very low. It was deemed wise therefore
to concentrate their efforts on procuring dental fitness for a certain
section of children, whilst at the same time offering emergency
treatment for the relief of toothache etc., to children of all ages
rather than spread the available manpower over a greater number.
During the time this scheme was in operation it worked satisfactorily
and parents appreciated the necessity of this method of
allocating the available dental strength.
Evening Sessions.
This scheme has now been in operation for two years and
continues to be a very excellent method of dealing with the very
large number of children in need of treatment. Attendance at these
sessions has been good with the consequence that dental officers have
been able to work undisturbed by numbers of emergency cases
which so often upset the timetable of a busy day time session.
Normally only children attending senior schools are sent appointments
to attend the clinic in the evening. Every endeavour is
made to arrange for the younger children in the senior departments
to be given appointments in the earlier part of the evening in order
not to disrupt bed times. Three dental officers are taking part in
this scheme and between them they have worked 258 sessions
during the year. This is an increase over 1952 when 220 sessions
were undertaken. As a result of the increased sessions worked the
number of attendances for treatment and the total number of
fillings performed shows an expected improvement over the
previous year. Each child treated required an average of 3.7
fillings in permanent teeth. This is a high figure but it must be
borne in mind that in the majority of these cases a lengthy period
had intervened since the last routine inspection.
The Orthodontic Service.
Orthodontia is now accepted as a necessary and integral part
of any organised School Dental Service. In this area the large
majority of treatment is carried out by specialists in orthodontia
as distinct from dental officers. The primary responsibility of the
latter being the more fundamental branches of dental surgery, i.e.,
conservative and surgical treatment. Thus the large amount of
orthodontic treatment that has been undertaken has not been at
the expense of essential basic treatment. This is often the main