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recently-qualified peripatetic part-time temporary dentist. One of
the great needs in the public dental service today is the recruitment
of young full-time dental surgeons who wish to make the public
dental service their career.
In 1952—following the receipt of Ministry of Health Circular
22/52 and Ministry of Education Circular 254—a special appeal was
made by the Local Dental Committee to provide dental practitioners
to devote a portion of their time to the treatment of school children
on a sessional fee basis, either in their own surgeries or in local
authority clinics ; but the response to the appeal was very poor.
During 1953 an appeal was again made to local dental surgeons in
private practice to undertake the treatment of priority class
patients (expectant or nursing mothers, and children up to the age
of 16 years) during one or more sessions per week. The appeal
stressed the acute shortage of local authority dental staff and the
great arrears of dental work that had accumulated in the school
dental service ; but the appeal had no response from dental surgeons
in the area. Fortunately a dental surgeon from another area heard
of the appeal and offered to assist at one weekly session.
Dental Inspections.
Periods between dental inspections in schools are still far too
long, and with the increased number of children and the shortage
of dental staff, the most that one can do by way of eliminating
wasted time is not to offer treatment to children whose parents have
habitually refused to accept it, other than emergency treatment for
the relief of pain.
Six schools were inspected and treated during the year.
Orthodontics.
Due to the reduction of the special orthodontic sessions from
two to one per week, it has become even more necessary to select
cases which will offer the greatest chance of success coupled with the
greatest good to the patient.