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each child requiring treatment. Appointments for treatment
at the clinic are sent to all who desire such treatment as
soon as possible after the return of the consent form appropriately
signed.
Treatment of a conservative nature is stressed and in
accordance with this an acceptance is only deemed valid if
the parents consent to all the treatment recommended. Extractions
are not undertaken where consent to fillings is withheld,
because although it may at first seem to the parent to be
the easier way out, it is not in the child's best interest to
have gaps where teeth should be. Fortunately it is usually
an easy matter to convince parents of this, and the number
who refuse on this account is steadily diminishing.
In order to keep the conservation of teeth in the forefront
all fillings, as far as is practicable, are completed for the
child before any necessary extractions are made. Were this
course not adhered to, some children after having had their
extractions would fail to keep their filling appointments ; not
only would saveable teeth become unsaveable as a result of
this, but much clinical time would be wasted by broken
appointments. 'The value of this policy is indicated by the
proportion of teeth saved. The ratio of extractions to fillings
in permanent teeth in Finchley for the year 1938 is 1: 8.58
which compares very favourably with the average ratio for
all areas which is 1: 2.2 (1937 figures). These figures include
extractions to relieve overcrowding.
'The filling to extraction ratio is included in this report
because it is a more accurate gauge of the soundness of a
service than is the acceptance rate per cent. From it may be
judged the completeness of treatment given as well as the
permanence of the fillings inserted. If fillings proved unsatisfactory
the teeth would subsequently need to be extracted and
thus the ratio would be adversely affected.
One of the main causes of irregularity of teeth is overcrowding,
and this is treated as soon as it is threatened or
noticed by judicious extractions. The smaller percentage that
need regulation by appliance are at present referred to one
of the Dental Hospitals.
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