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Dental Care for the Priority Classes
Since the comparable report of last year was made on dental care for the Priority Classes, some
change has taken place for the year now under review. This relates both to the total amount of time
devoted to these patients being increased by 16.5% and to a redistribution of the time so that greater
emphasis is placed upon the pre-school children.
This is as planned and was foreseen in the previous report, and has been done without imposing
any restrictions on the acceptance of anybody seeking treatment. The reduction in the number of
expectant and nursing mothers, and the lesser amount of treatment required by each, is quite by chance.
It is to be hoped that this trend reflects the increase in the numbers who regularly attend their own dentists
as a routine and who, therefore, do not need to seek treatment from our service solely because they do
not already have, or know of, a general dental practitioner.
The increase in the number of pre-school children treated has been brought about by closer liaison
between the medical and dental services, and by more direct attempts by the dental staff to advise
parents of children already attending for treatment that their younger children, not yet at school, might
also benefit by attending.
We like to have the opportunity of seeing these children before the need for treatment arises, as
this makes for a simple and pleasant introductory visit conducive to the later acceptance of treatment
without undue difficulty. The association in the mind of a child between severe toothache and a visit
to the dentist is the worst possible foundation on which to build acceptance and trust. Neither must it
be overlooked that early treatment is likely to be quicker and simpler, and that every dental defect
treated before entry to school represents less to be done later, when our duties to the schools may impose
delays in treatment not suffered by the priority classes.
Where possible, the figures for the preceding year are set beside those for the year under review for
comparison, but a change in the keeping of statistics required by the Ministry of Health has not allowed
this ineverycase. The change has made possible the giving of some details for the first time this year,
but for others has prevented the giving of directly comparable information.
It will be seen that we succeed in maintaining a service which conserves rather than removes teeth,
and it may be of interest to mention that our ratio for pre-school children's teeth filled to those extracted
is 4.0 to 1 against a National average of 1.2 to 1.
The table showing the details of work done for priority patients is simple for the small numbers
concerned, unlike that for the school dental service reported upon separately elsewhere, so that appreciation
is easy and does not call for detailed comment.

Method of recording changed for 1966 and dentures for both these categories of patients are combined.
Total number of dentures of all types supplied was 38
Number of treatment sessions for priority classes in 1966 was 367 (number in 1965 was 315).
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