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There has been much to discuss regarding the administration
of the Service in the Borough, and these meetings have been appreciated
also for the opportunity they have provided for making social
contact with colleagues and officers.
I have only to add that the year has been a happy and a busy
one for all of us. This we know has come through the co-operation
and helpful contacts with all Officers, Staff, Teachers and Parents.
This is graciously acknowledged and appreciated by all.
Statistics
During the year 564 pupils received treatment including 273
new referrals. At the end of the year 364 children were receiving
treatment.
DENTAL SERVICE
The Chief Dental Officer Reports as follows :—
1. Staffing
The main problem facing the Dental Service at the present
time is that the state of children's teeth continues to deteriorate,
and the number of dentists able and willing to devote their energies
to this exacting work is insufficient to meet the demand for treatment
created.
The school population at 31st December, 1965, was 42,331,
and to this must be added the large number of pre-school children
under 5 years of age who, together with nursing and expectant
mothers, form a high priority group of patients.
The professional establishment for all the dental services of
the Borough is :—
1 Chief Dental Officer
10 Dental Officers
After various staff changes during the year, the number in post
at 31st December, 1965. was equivalent to six full-time dentists.
This figure is arrived at by taking into account the number of sessions
that part-time dentists work in addition to full-time staff.
2. Premises and Equipment
Altogether there are nine dental clinics in Havering, and all
have been in use throughout the year. Of these, the premises at
Harold Wood, the Health Centre at Harold Hill, and St. Mary's
Lane, Upminster, are purpose built and of recent construction, and
the dental surgeries at Hulse Avenue and Marks Road are new
additions to existing older clinics. The dental surgeries at Abbs
Cross Lane, Westland Avenue and Upminster Road, Rainham, are
rooms adapted for the purpose in pre-1939 clinics, and these cannot
be regarded as satisfactory by present-day standards.
During the period 1st April, 1965, to 31st December, 1965,
it was possible to re-distribute some items of dental equipment, so
that now all surgeries have achieved a reasonable standard and all
are equipped with modern air-turbine drills.
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