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110
At the end of the year under review it had not been found
possible to obtain the services of dental officers to staff this centre;
but one of the surgeries was opened part-time in January, 1952.
The Dental Whitley Council Agreement of February, 1951,
with regard to the salaries of Local Authority Dental Officers
has not proved sufficiently attractive to dental surgeons, and
consequently did not enable the Authority to increase its dental
staff during the year. The present staff of dental surgeons is
approximately two-thirds of what it was in 1939, but only onethird
of the present authorised establishment. Six dental officers
are necessary to carry on the service as it ought to be carried on.
Apart from one full-time dental officer, the work has been
carried on by three part-time dental surgeons, and it has been due
to their loyalty in remaining in their appointments, and their
keen interest in children's work, that all patients who have sought
the aid of the department during the year have been able to receive
it. Routine examination and treatment have been carried out in
three schools of the Borough.
In addition, and at the request of the County Council, a survey
—of the condition of the teeth of the school entrant group to
ascertain the incidence of decayed, missing and filled teeth—was
carried out in the Infants' Departments of six schools. The
number of sound mouths in school entrants was found to be only
18.82 per cent. The average number of decayed, missing and
filled teeth per child was 5.07.
Following recommendations made in the Teviot Committee
Report on Dentistry concerning the employment of ancillary
dental workers in the public dental service, a limited number of
Oral Hygienists have been employed by Local Authorities ; and
on 16th May, 1951, Miss Watts commenced duties in the Leyton
area. Since that date she has done very much useful workscaling
and cleaning teeth, minor gum treatment, and talks to
mothers and children on matters of dental hygiene. Unfortunately,
the scope of her duties is too limited for her to be employed to full
advantage among school children, the need for scaling in school
children's mouths having been found to average only 17 per cent,
of all cases needing dental attention in the schools inspected during
the year.