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Roxeth Clinic and at Stanburn School. At each of these clinics there is
a full-time dental officer (except at Marlborough Hill where the dental
officer works 8/llths of her time), aided by a full-time attendant. The
children from schools in the north-west part of the district are attended
to by the dental officer working at the Northwood Clinic. Special cases
are referred to the Orthodontic Clinic at Sudbury which serves part of
the County and which is now being worked beyond capacity.
General anaesthetic (gas) sessions are held at regular intervals, the
anaesthetic being administered by one of a rota of general medical practitioners.
At these sessions a trained nurse is in attendance, this usually
being one of the school nurses.
In ordinary circumstances the dental officers found it possible to
visit their schools in something about a twelve-month. There was,
however, no reserve to meet the case of absence from any cause. Dental
officers are finding, too, that the dental condition of the children who were
evacuated, and have now returned, is sufficiently poor that the extra
time they require delays the schedule of visiting. It is hoped, too, that
growing numbers of maternity and child welfare patients will avail
themselves of the facilities for dental treatment offered them. The
appointment of further dental officers is therefore urgently needed.
The first need is for premises at which can be treated the children
from schools in the north and western part of the district. The balance
of the time of the full-time services of a dental officer occupied here on
these would provide some slight help, but especially bearing in mind the
needs of the maternity and child welfare patients as well, additional
appointments will be required, even of two officers, if the time of the
dental officers is to be most economically used by their being able to get
round their schools every six months. Then there is probably sufficient
orthodontic work needing to be done to the children of this district to
engage on this the whole time of one dental officer.
The premises at Roxeth Clinic are far from satisfactory, more especially
in the winter months.
4. Other Forms of Treatment.
(a) Ophthalmic.
Children requiring ophthalmic treatment are seen by the ophthalmic
surgeon who holds sessions twice weekly at the clinic at 76, Marlborough
Hill. A member of a firm of opticians attends the sessions to dispense the
prescriptions.
Children from some schools attend at other clinics in Wembley or in
Ruislip. Arrangements were made for most of them to be treated at
the Marlborough Hill Clinic, though until the session could be opened at
South Harrow, those previously referred to the Ruislip Clinic had to
continue there. The increase in the number of children examined at the
schools led to so many more children being referred to the ophthalmic
clinic, that before the end of the year a substantial waiting list had
accumulated, and made more urgent than ever the need of the additional
clinic sessions.
Children are re-examined at intervals of time determined in each
case by the ophthalmic surgeon.