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ANNUAL REPORT OF CHIEF DENTAL OFFICER
Mr. E.B. Hodgson, Chief Dental Officer, reports as follows
on the Dental Services provided by the Department
Premises:
At the beginning of the year, Upminster Clinic was again
in operation with Mr. Wright transferring back from his temporary
base in Harold Hill. During April, both Hornchurch and Elm Park
Clinics were re-opened in greatly improved premises. For the first
time in Hornchurch Clinic there was a purpose-built dental suite
comprising a good-sized surgery, recovery room and waiting room,
together with a combined dark-room and store-room. This proved
a welcome change for Mrs. Saunders who for too long had had to
make do with one small converted room as a dental surgery with
no additional facilities.
At Elm Park Clinic the existing dental surgery was
modernised and a separate recovery and waiting-room were
provided — again resulting in much improved accommodation.
Staff:
On 1st April the Borough's first Dental Auxiliary took up
her appointment. These are girls trained to carry out simple and
routine treatments for children on the prescription of and under the
supervision of a registered dental surgeon. Dental auxiliaries
have proved of great value in the treatment of young children and
this was shown to be the case when Miss Fenelon began her duties
at the Health Centre and Harold Wood Clinic, both premises having
two adjoining surgeries.
Following further advertisements for staff, we were fortunate
to secure the services of a young lady dental surgeon — Miss
Vassalli — who joined the full-time staff during August. This
enabled the surgery in Collier Row Clinic, which caters for a
large school population, to be fully operative once more after a
period of some eighteen months when only a very limited service
had been available.
Thus the year ended with the staffing situation in a slightly
better position with five full-time dental surgeons, one dental
auxiliary and a further seven sessions each week being provided
by dentists on a contractual basis.
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