View report page

110
Dental Treatment.
Report by the Area Dental Officer (Mr. A. E. Hall).
While the dental staffing position is not yet good enough to enable
pre-school children to be inspected and treated as often as is desirable {i.e.
every three months from about two years of age), one pleasing feature of the
work done during 1954 was that many patients were seen and treated more
than once during the year.
When the work found to be necessary is a small filling not taking many
minutes, the majority of pre-school children make remarkably good patients
and, not being kept long at any visit, are usually ready to return for re-inspection
and treatment at a later date.
The Oral Hygienist (Miss Watts) has done much good work among
these patients by way of talks, also to the expectant mothers who are usually
keen to know what they should do in the best interests of the infants' dental
welfare.
All cases referred to the dentist by the Council's Medical Officers were
seen and treated during the year, and any former patients seeking re-examination
were treated if necessary.
It is pleasing to note that many more patients are now willing to undergo
full treatment instead of only for the relief of pain, as was quite common
years ago.