London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Willesden 1920
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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71
THE THIRD ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE
Year Ending 31st December, 1920,
ON
DENTAL WORK in connection with
SCHOOL CHILDREN, EXPECTANT
AND NURSING MOTHERS, AND
CHILDREN under 5 years.
By E. A. JENNINGS, L.D.S., R.C.S. Eng.
School Children.—The third annual report on the working of the dental clinics covers the
year 1920, during which 3,500 elementary school children from 5 years of age and upwards were
examined by the dentists. The number brought forward from 1919 was 1,248, and the number
still under observation at the end of 1920 was 1,270.
3,237 children were referred for and 2,926 actually received treatment, 681 of these 2,926
being re-treated as a result of periodical re-examination.
The total number of cases completed during the year was 2,877. 435 did not return to be
completed, and in 408 cases it was not permitted to carry out the treatment required.
2,364 fillings were done on permanent teeth, and 1,292 on temporary teeth; 1,394 permanent
teeth and 10,017 temporary were removed; making a total of 3,656 fillings and 11,411 extractions
during the year. In addition to these, 1,077 other operations were performed on the temporary
and permanent teeth and soft tissues of the mouth.
10,670 attendances were recorded by all school children. There were 182 anaesthetic sessions,
during which nitrous oxide was administered 3,262 times.
Table No. 68 gives the results of the examination of the teeth of the 3,500 children examined,
and demonstrates the amount of work involved.
Table No. 68.
| Age. | Number of Children Examined. | Number of Temporary Teeth. | Number of Permanent Teeth. | Total No. of Teeth Decayed. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decayed Savable. | Decayed Unsavable. | Decayed Savable. | Decayed Unsavable. | |||
| 5 years | 238 | 269 | 578 | 9 | 856 | |
| 6 „ | 523 | 401 | 1,629 | 124 | 3 | 2,157 |
| 7 „ | 566 | 275 | 1,972 | 270 | 20 | 2,537 |
| 8 „ | 323 | 115 | 1,232 | 191 | 23 | 1,561 |
| 9 „ | 4 | 21 | 33 | 10 | 1 | 65 |
| Specials | 1,846 | 524 | 7,100 | 1,936 | 1,386 | 10,946 |
| Total | 3,500 | 1,605 | 12,544 | 2,540 | 1,433 | 18,122 |
The outstanding feature of the year's work is the large number of special cases, which have
been referred to the Clinics on account of gross defects of the teeth and gums. It is not the object
of the school dental clinic to treat large numbers of cases of gross neglect; the ideal to be aimed
at is rather the ultimate diminution of such treatment.
The treatment of children with gross defects is in many cases urgently necessary, but the
amount of work to be done when mouths are allowed to get into such a condition is enormous.