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a previous year conceal changes of individual members of staff: some having left and been replaced, usually after
an interval during which we were below even the previous insufficient number, by newcomers who need to learn
the methods and routine of a public health service.
While the nationally negotiated salary scales for dental officers with Local Authorities continue to provide a strong
disincentive to recruitment, we have to depend heavily on sessionally employed dental officers who are at a
financial advantage by such arrangement and, while we value their contribution to the service, this does nothing
to build a stable staffing situation.
Overall, recruitment to local authority dental services throughout the United Kingdom suffers such difficulty that
virtually none are able fully to meet the demands on their services.
The World Health Organisation recommends an ideal dentist to head-of-total-population ratio of 1 to 2,000, but
as a total population will include many whose dental needs are minimal, for example full-denture wearers, the ideal
for comprehensive dental care of the very vulnerable children up to school leaving age would seem to be as
presently in the Scandinavian countries at 1 to between 900 and 1,200.
Excluding the orthodontists whose duties do not include general dental treatment, the ratio of dental officers to
children on the school rolls in Haringey is now 1 to 5,180 which, despite the contribution from those general
dental practitioners who do treat children, is grossly excessive.
Additionally, about 7% of the effective strength of our dental officers is devoted to treatment of the priority
classes, pre-school children and expectant and nursing mothers and, for the purposes of the calculation above,
should really be deducted from the total figure to give a ratio of one dental officer to 5,540 school children. In an
area where the average standard of child dental health is poor, our problems are formidable.
Blood Testing of Certain Ethnic Groups
Our successful routine of blood testing as a safety measure before administration of general anaesthetics has
continued, with a further 425 patients tested during the year. Although there were no startling results from these,
there were 2 found to be unfit for an anaesthetic at all and 24 for whom special care was needed.
There were additional findings referred to our medical service which did not have implications in the provision of
dental treatment.
From March 1969 when we started what has now become a well established routine to the end of the year under
review, we have carried out this test for 1,388 patients. Apart from the positive findings which have made possible
the avoidance of risks to patients, it is very reassuring for the anaesthetist to know that these otherwise concealed
hazards have been excluded for the remainder of the patients."
Dental Inspection and Treatment
Pupils first inspected at school 12,787
Pupils first inspected at clinics 4,396
Pupils re-inspected 2,536
Number found to require treatment 12,067
Number of fillings:
Permanent teeth 10,767
Temporary teeth 9,299
Number of teeth filled:
Permanent teeth 9,212
Temporary teeth 8,518
Extractions:
Permanent teeth unsavable 428
Permanent teeth for orthodontia 370
Temporary teeth 3,668
General anaesthetics administered:
Total 1,065
By dental officers 667
Number of dentures supplied 16
Number of crowns and inlays 18
Number of teeth root filled 16
Number of prophylaxes 1,491
Number of teeth otherwise conserved 597
Other operations 4,001
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