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19
The facilities at present existing in the Borough apart from private dental
practice are very scanty. Extractions are done at most of tlie out-patient departments,
but so far as I can ascertain the only hospital where the general public can
obtain other dental treatment is the British Dentists' Hospital, Camden Road,
where the patients are required to pay for the work done. The dental departu ent
of University College Hospital (the National Dental Hospital, Great Portland Street),
which also provides all kiuds of dental treatment and requires certain payments or
the production of subscribers' letters, is outside the Borough.
Dental treatment for school children is provided by the London County
Council at their Treatment Centres.
The St. Pancras School for Mothers, 1, Amptliill Square, has for some years
provided dental treatment at their Centre for mothers and children attending
there. Much credit is due to the Centre and to the dentist (Mr. George
Thomson, l.d.s.) for this pioneer work. A charge is made, except for extractions.
None of the other 11 Maternity and Child Welfare Centres in the Borough
have any dental facilities, except the Centre at University College Hospital.
Even when extractions and fillings are done without charge, there still remains
the difficult question of artificial teeth. When many teeth are extracted these are
essential, and seeing that the hospital charge for a complete set is £4, the difficulty
of supplying them to people who cannot pay is obvious. Certain societies give
assistance in this direction, and these are mentioned in the last paragraph of this
report, where the matter is further considered.
Recommendations.—Arrangements ought to be made at once for mothers and
children attending all the Centres in the Borough to have proper dental attention.
It would be convenient if each Centre could have this done on its own premises,
but in most cases the premises are not suitable for the purpose. The most practical
scheme for the present would be the institution of a central dental clinic to which
the patients could be sent from all the Centres.
The number of cases to be dealt with is not determined by the number of
mothers and children requiring attention, but by the number attending the Centres
wJio are willing to undergo treatment. It would be further limited if artificial
teeth cannot be provided. The work to be done immediately is for this reason
likely to be only moderate in amount, though there are undoubtedly mothers and
children who would be glad to accept treatment if it were offered. The St. Pancras
School for Mothers are able to meet the dental needs of their cases by one afternoon's
dentistry per week, and in this way they dealt with the teeth of 150 mothers
(making about 260 attendances) at the 36 dental clinics held in the year ended 31st
March, 191", in addition to attention given to the children. The other Centres in
the Borough (not counting that at University College Hospital) are dealing with
from two to three times as many cases as the St. Pancras School for Mothers, and
at the same rate these should need two or three half-day dental clinics per week;
but I am inclined to think that for a time one such clinic per wfeek would go far
towards meeting their needs so far as extractions and fillings are concerned. The
British Dentists' Hospital, 81, Camden Road, is fully equipped for such a clinic, is
conveniently situated, and I understand that the use of the premises and fittings,
including the services of an attendant, could be secured here for one half-day a
week for a suitable payment, which I am informed is likely to be about £65 per
annum. The services of a dentist could be secured for a fee of one guinea per
half day aticndance. and in addition a doctor would be required for administering
anaesthetics (say) once a month, and could probably be obtained also for a fee of
one guinea per attendance. The cost of materials would be small, and I estimate
that such a weekly clinic for extractions and fillings (not dentures), which would
involve no capital expenditure, could be maintained at a cost not exceeding .£150
ptr annum, one-lialf of which would be repayable by the Local Government
Board. If the work inert ased so that more than one clinic per week were required,
the expenditure would, of course, be proportionately increased.