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74
With your present dental staff of one full time and one part time dental
officer, it was only found possible to examine 9,488 children in view of the
fact that the acceptances of treatment have increased very markedly, as out
of 4,470 children found to require treatment, over 3,000 were actually treated.
This was mainly due to propaganda at the dental inspections and while in itself
gratifying, it w ill undoubtedly require additional dental staff to cope with
the numbers now on the school roll.
The importance of the yearly dental inspection is that if too long a
period is allowed to elapse between inspections a proportion of the work which
has previously been carried out by your dental officer will be wasted, as dental
treatment can never be said to be completed. This is especially so in the
school period of life which is the formative period as regards dentition. At
that time if dental caries becomes established it tends to progress with alarm-,
ing rapidity.
Provision has therefore been made in the estimates for the year 1934/35
for additional dental staff.
(H) ORTHOPEDIC AND POSTURAL DEFECTS.—
The scheme for the treatment of these defects remains as in previous
years. Your Orthopaedic Surgeon attends at two sessions each month and
the nurse provided by the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital seven sessions
each week. Arrangements have been made for in-patient treatment, where
necessary, with the Royal National Orthopædic Hospital at Stanmore. Any
necessary operative treatment is carried out there by your Orthopaedic Surgeon.
The following statistics show the volume of work undertaken during the
year :—
380 School Medical Services cases attended during the year 1933, and
made 4,954 attendances.
151 Maternity and Child Welfare cases attended, and made 584 attendances.
Total cases 531. Total attendances 5,538.
220 School Children attended for the first time.
92 Maternity and Child Welfare cases attended for the first time.
1,008 Examinations were made by the Orthopaedic Surgeon.
7 cases were sent to hospital.
531 cases received treatment or were kept under observation at the
clinic.