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It may be of interest to compare the average number of fillings
required by secondary school boys with figures recently given
respecting dental treatment required by army and air force recruits.
It was found that each army recruit required 5.5 fillings. This
compares with an average of 4.72 fillings for each Grammar School
boy as shown in the above table (higher age groups).
In the air force each accepted recruit required an average of
5.1 fillings, and dental conditions were responsible for the rejection
of 310 men out of every 1,000 men rejected.
The dental condition of recruits shows the urgent necessity of
providing dental treatment for adolescents. A boy may leave school
dentally fit having received regular dental treatment during his school
life. In most cases he will receive no further conservative treatment
whatever and much of the benefit he has derived from the School
Dental service will eventually be lost.
Much has been written lately respecting the importance of
improving the condition of the teeth of preschool children. It is
noticeable, however, that generally the emphasis is laid on treatment
rather than prevention, in spite of the fact that unless prevention
occupies the foremost place in the fight against dental disease there
can be little hope of any great improvement in the dental health of
very young children.
The Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education in his
annual report for 1936, writes of the difficulty of carrying out successful
conservative work on the temporary teeth of school children,
especially when the caries is on the approximal surfaces of the molar
teeth. He expresses the view that probably 10% or more, of fillings
in these positions are not successful and draws the conclusion that ;
" A conservative operation with a failure rate of 10% is likely to do
more harm than good to the school dental service." If this view is
correct with regard to the treatment of children attending school,