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EXPECTANT AND NURSING MOTHERS AND CHILDREN UNDER FIVE.
It is estimated that 625 sessions were utilised for the inspection and treatment of expectant and nursing
mothers, and children under five years. Thus, rather more than one dental officer's time was taken up with this
branch of the service.
E.M. N.M. 0-5 Total
Number inspected 1,305 200 600 2,105
Number brought forward from previous year 94 11 4 109
Total number under observation during year 1,399 211 604 2,214
Number completed 593 120 358 1,071
Number partially completed 253 19 60 332
Number not availing themselves of treatment 256 32 61 349
Number treated by other agencies 56 5 6 67
Number carried forward 133 31 36 200
Number with no defect 108 4 83 195
Number of attendances 4,068 756 1,431 6,255
Number of teeth removed 1,111 352 611 2,074
Number of teeth filled 1,558 210 421 2,189
Number of other operations on the gums and teeth 1,356 332 333 2,021
Number of general anaesthetics 358 92 248 698
Number of local anaesthetics 50 10 6 66
Number of treatment sessions - - - 625
Number of patients who received dentures during the year:
At cost to Council At cost to Applicant At part cost to Applicant Total
Dentures 22 24 44 90
Repairs 1 1
Total 23 24 44 91
RECOMMENDATIONS.
It is apparent from the foregoing remarks that the service as it stands is capable only of meeting about half
the obligations required by the Education Act, 1944, and that extensions are urgently needed if all school children,
mothers and infants are to receive adequate dental care.
Of the four Dental Officers now engaged the equivalent of rather more than one is taken up with maternity
and child welfare, leaving rather less than three Dental Officers to care for the school population of approximately
20,000, a figure which will increase with the raising of the school-leaving age.
To overcome these deficiencies, it is recommended that during the interim period until new permanent allpurpose
clinics have been constructed temporary premises be obtained to house four additional Dental Officers, one
Orthodontic Specialist for the School Medical Service, and two officers for the Maternity and Child Welfare Service,
making a total staff of eleven Dental Surgeons.
It is also desirable that the existing arrangement for the supply of dentures should be modified to enable Dental
Officers to undertake the chair-side work of denture construction, and that until the Authority has its own staffed
laboratories, a contract should be made with a firm of technicians to carry out the laboratory work.
REPORT ON WAR-TIME NURSERIES, 1946-1947
Number of Nurseries open on 1st April, 1946, 12.
Number of Places open, 590.
Attendances for year, 110,070.
Staff Employed.—Matrons 12 Deputy Matrons 12
Nursery Nurses 23 Wardens 12
Nursery Assistants 46 Students 28
Cooks 12 Domestics (mostly part-time) 40