London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
East Ham 1920
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
This page requires JavaScript
The dental work undertaken in connection with the
| No. of Half Days devoted to Treatment. | No. of Attendances. | No. of Permanent Teeth. | No. of Temporary Teeth. | Total No. of Fillings. | Total No. of Extractions. | No. of Administrations of General Anaesthetics. | No. of other Operations. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults. | Children. | Extracted. | Filled. | Extracted. | Filled. | Permanent Teeth. | Temporary Teeth. | ||||
| 41 | 166 | 47 | 203 | 45 | 85 | 7 | 52 | 288 | 32 | 98 | 18 |
The increasing number of mothers who are bringing- young
children for advice and treatment is encouraging, but great difficulty
has been experienced in persuading the adults to have septic
and unsavable teeth or roots extracted, owing to our inability to
supply artificial teeth.
It has been my aim throughout to carry out all treatment in
as painless a manner as possible, and for this purpose either a
general or a local anaesthetic has been used for all extraction
cases, nitrous oxide gas being administered where it has been
necessary to extract permanent teeth in the case of older children
and adults. Dr. Brough has kindly devoted 35 sessions to the
administration of this general anaesthetic in the Dental Clinic,
and 349 children and 21 adults have thus been spared much pain
and anxiety.
In conclusion I should like to express my gratitude and
thanks to the School Medical Officers, Nurses and Teachers, for
the very valuable advice and help which they have given, and for
the kindness which has been shown to me during my first year of
office.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
FREDERICK E. BENDIX.