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62
REPORT ON THE SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE IN EALING
During the year the School Dental Service has continued
under the same conditions of uncertainty as have been
referred to in recent previous reports.
Increases of salary have been made to both dental
officers and dental attendants and whilst these increases
have apparently not materially affected recruitment of
staff, nevertheless the position in this area is better
than that in those adjacent. Part-time officers are very
definite in their preference for working in the clinics
which have the most modern equipment and the actual
process of improvement must continue if we are to attract
the best dental officers. The majority of part-time dental
officers who are also in private practice are now using
air turbine dental engines in their own practices and
convinced of the efficiency of this type of apparatus,
they press for the provision of similar equipment in the
clinics. We hope to start using such equipment in 1980,
but it will take some time to re-equip all surgeries.
The demand for treatment does not abate and it is
satisfying that the proportion of conservation treatment
to extraction continues to rise steadily. This readiness
on the part of parents and patients to accept the treatment
proposed by the dental officers demonstrates the
increasing awareness of parents of the need for dental
health, and the readiness with which children accept the
relatively small amount of pain and discomfort of modern
dental techniques.
Unfortunately it is the experience of all dental
officers that there is an increasing incidence of dental
decay amongst school children. This not only affects
those who have failed to seek treatment, but those who
have had regular treatment as well and the rate of deter
ioration in some mouths and the constant vigilance that
is required of the dental surgeon places a great strain
on limited resources. There is no doubt at all that this
higher incidence of caries and rapid progress of the
disease is due to the increasing consumption of sweetmeats
and "sticky carbohydrate" foods. Limited dental health
propaganda directed to improving our dietetic habits does
not seem to be making much impact. Still our greatest
hope for reducing the onset of caries seems to be the
fluoridation of domestic water supply. This is a measure
of preventive medicine which has proved itself in many
parts of the world in spite of intense opposition.