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providing a routine dental inspection of all children at
school, and ensuring that any treatment necessary is
received either from the Council's dental officers or by
attendance at a general dental practitioner. A further
function is the provision of dental health education.
The Service operates from 12 of the Council's clinics.
five of which have two surgeries so that the additional
orthodontic and dental auxiliary services may be provided.
The establishment for dental staff is 13 dental officers,
two of whom are orthodontists, and 1 dental auxiliary.
During the year, staffing has presented some difficulty,
two clinics being without a dental officer, one for 3
months and the other for 6 months, due to difficulty in
recruitment. This resulted in a reduction of the total
treatment figures, which was reflected in the annual
statistical returns. The position has now been resolved
and at present 9 full-time and 2 part-time dental officers
are employed, being a full-time equivalent of 10 2/10.
A full-time dental auxiliary continues to assist the dental
officer at one of the clinics.
During the year, two senior members of the staff.
Mr L C Mandeville. Principal School Dental Officer, and
Miss I Cameron, Senior Dental Officer, retired from local
authority service. Both Mr Mandeville and Miss Cameron
had been concerned with the School Dental Service over
a number of years, and they will be very much missed by
all members of the staff.
DENTAL INSPECTION
The figures for dental inspections during the year were as
follows :-
Number of routine dental inspections 1971 20,243
Percentage of children inspected 45,45%
Number found to require treatment 15,534
Sessions devoted to inspection 199
DENTAL TREATMENT
Total Visits to clinics 25,587
Number of teeth filled 20,798
Teeth extracted : total 6.562
Teeth extracted in orthodontic treatment 525
General anaesthetics 2,187
Emergencies 1,281
Sessions devoted to treatment 3,600
Although there has been little change in the percentage
of children found to require treatment, observed in the
Borough for a number of years, there has been a reduction
in the amount of treatment required by each child. The
ratio of permanent teeth filled to permanent teeth
extracted is a good figure, and has risen steadily over
past years.
It is also encouraging to note, as the following tables
show, that in the last 3 years, the number of deciduous
extractions has continued to fall in the younger age
groups, and that the number of general anaesthetics
required for all age groups has been reduced.

DENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
It is recognised that dental health education in the
schools plays a large part in increasing an awareness of
the importance of dental health, and an interest in maintaining
it. Dental health education forms an important
part of the work of the dental auxiliary, who, wherever
possible, has accompanied the dental officer on school
inspections to give a talk on dental health in conjunction
with a suitable film, and to demonstrate various aspects
of dental hygiene.
An encouraging trend in the last few years has been the
appreciable increase in the number of five-year-old
school entrants found to have caries-free deciduous teeth.
There remains however a disappointingly high number of
children whose teeth are in a very poor state indeed on
school entry, and it is to this younger section of the
school population, and the parents, that the greatest
efforts in dental health education are directed.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH DENTAL SERVICE
(PRIORITY DENTAL SERVICE)
The priority dental groups comprise expectant and nursing
mothers, and pre-school children.
The figures for attendance of these groups in 1971 were:-
EXPECTANT AND NURSING MOTHERS:
Examined 109
Required treatment 104
Teeth filled 192
Teeth extracted 50
Dentures provided 32