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DENTAL SERVICE
Under Section 48 of the Education Act, 1944, it is the duty of the local
education authority to provide medical inspection at appropriate intervals for
pupils in attendance at any school or county college maintained by them, and
every local education authority shall have power to provide for such inspection of
senior pupils in attendance at any other educational establishment maintained by
them.
Medical inspection, which is compulsory for such pupils, is deemed to include
dental inspection.
Under Section 4 of the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1953, the
local education authority has duties and powers in regard to the provision of free
dental treatment, similar to those for medical treatment, but dental treatment may
only be provided by the authority through persons employed by the authority or
under arrangements made with the hospital service and not through the general
dental service.
The Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Education and Science has
made it clear what should be a model scheme for the school dental service.
He points out that it is the duty of the school dental service to make dental treatment
available for all children attending maintained schools, or otherwise the responsibility
of the local education authority; so that through dental health education and a
high standard of dental care, children shall leave school free from dental disease and
irregularity, and with an understanding of the importance of good natural teeth
and an enthusiasm to look after them.
The scheme should begin as regards each child, with its entrance into school
life and should provide at least for an annual re-examination, together with arrangements
for recall inspections up to the end of school life, with the opportunity for
treatment if necessary after each inspection. An essential part of a satisfactory
scheme should be the proper organisation of orthodontic treatment, the less complex
cases by school dental officers, the more complex cases by orthodontists in the school
health service, and severe cases by consultant orthodontists in the hospital service.
Every scheme should include provision for dental health education programmes
involving not only the dental staff but also other relevant staff.
Detailed application of a model scheme is included in the Chief Medical Officer's
Report and the arrangements in Enfield comply with the scheme in so far as staff
recruitment permits.
It would probably be accepted that an ideal scheme would provide for every
child to have a dental inspection, with any necessary treatment, every six months.
At present, however, we are endeavouring to reach in the near future, the position
where every child will have an inspection every year.
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