View report page

20
One of the duties of Local Authorities in future will be to provide orthodontic treatment for all children under
their jurisdiction, and it may be incumbent upon them to see that treatment of this kind is done at the Health
Centres by the school dental officers.
Education.—Methods adopted for educating parents and children on the care of the teeth have been by the
distribution of pamphlets at routine school inspections, by the exhibition of educational films at local cinemas,
demonstrations and lectures provided by the Dental Board and talks to children and parents at schools and clinics.
Some of these activities were discontinued at the outbreak of the war.
Following Up.—Home visitation by Health Visitors is included in the School Dental Service. All parents
of children who fail to keep appointments are seen and advised to complete the treatment.
DENTAL STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR 1945.
The service continued on the same restricted lines as in 1944. The staff of three dental officers, three
nurses, and a part-time anaesthetist carried on the work at their respective centres.
The total working sessions amounted to 1,525, and were utilised as follows:
Treatment sessions at the Centrer 1,378
Routine inspection sessions 137
Administration sessions 10
Total 1,525
The Anaesthetist attended 131 times and administered anaesthetics to 2,687 patients, which is an average
of 20.5 per session.
11,925 mothers, infants, primary and secondary school children were inspected.
9,248 were defective and 4,833 were treated at the Centres.
7,499 teeth were removed, 8,291 fillings were done and 3,554 other operations, making a total of 19,341
treatments.
15,441 attendances were made by these patients.
PRIMARY, NURSERY AND SPECIAL SCHOOLS.
The 1938 school population of Willesden was 18,700. The number on roll in December, 1945, was 15,641
compared with 5,300 during the peak of the evacuation in 1940.
Inspection.
Routine.—114 visits were made by the dental officers to the schools, when 7,254 scholars were inspected.
5,229 or 72 per cent. were found with carious teeth. The percentage in 1932 of children with defects was 68-7 per
cent., in 1938, 76 per cent.
Incidence of Decay.—There has apparently been little change in the incidence of decay in Willesden children
during the war years, in spite of the fact that the majority were evacuated to all parts of the country.
Complete recording of all defects found was done but " the care of the teeth " pamphlet, which was distributed
to each child before the war, was temporarily suspended.
Parents were invited to attend all dental inspections of their children.
Special Cases.—1,072 children were inspected at the centres. Included in this figure are cases of minor
defect which had developed between routine inspections, as well as those children leaving school and seeking a final
treatment.
Treatment.
Out of a total of 6,301 defective, 3,104 or approximately 50 per cent., were treated at the Centres. 5,079
teeth were extracted, of which 664 were permanent. 3,563 fillings were done on permanent and 1,347 on temporary
teeth. This is a ratio of 5 permanent fillings to 1 permanent extraction (including those permanent teeth extracted
for regulation).
Also 1,604 other operations were performed, including 11 jacket crowns, I denture, root fillings to anterior
teeth, gum treatments, dressings of zinc oxide and other sedatives, and silver nitrate applications.
Treatment sessions totalled 701.