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89
Report of School Dental Surgeon for Year 1932.
Inspection.
The annual inspection required by the Board of
Education was carried out in each school during the
year. The Dental Nurse and I made 28 visits to the
schools and all the children, with the exception of a
small number who were absent, received dental examination.
The total number of school children who were
examined during the year was 5,395, an increase of
652 over the previous year; due, of course, to the
increase in the school population. At each inspection
about 152 children are examined.
It was found that 50 per cent. of these children
had reasonably sound teeth and healthy mouths, while
50 per cent. required treatment; in some cases extensive
—several fillings and several extractions—in other cases
perhaps one extraction, or a filling or two was all that
was necessary to maintain a good dental condition.
This figure—50 per cent. having sound, healthy
teeth—is very satisfactory; but I am afraid it is due
only to the fact that as a whole the children attend
the Clinic for treatment in a very regular manner.
On examining children who are just beginning their
school life at the age of four or five years I am inclined
to think that their teeth are no better, that dental decay
is as prevalent as ever. In our present state of knowledge
we cannot prevent the origin of dental disease;
at the moment our only effective method of control is
to treat the disease as soon as possible after it arises,
and hence the value of this regular annual inspection.
Treatment.
During the year 1932 the number of sessions for
treatment at the School Clinic was 391. The number
of attendances was 3,827, which gives an average attendance
per session of just over 9 patients.
The total number of children referred for treatment
was 2,653, and of this number 2,387 were actually
treated, this is about 89 per cent. This would appear
to be a satisfactory proportion, especially since it must
be remembered that we have increased the cost of our