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173
REPORT ON THE WORK DONE IN THE SCHOOL
DENTAL CLINIC.
To the School Medical Officer,
County Borough of East Ham,
Education Committee.
Sir,
I beg to submit to you my report for the year 1932.
The age groups inspected were from 5 years to 11 years
inclusive. The number of children inspected was 12,164, and those
referred for treatment were 8,709. The number of special cases,
those referred by School Medical Officers, Nurses, and Head
Teachers, was 204. These are children suffering from toothache
or oral sepsis who do not come under the routine dental
inspection.
Statistical details will be found in Table IV., Group IV.,
Dental Defects.
All the children in the routine age groups are inspected once
a year, and those requiring treatment are notified to attend the
Dental Clinic. When there is a depletion in the school attendance
owing to epidemics such as influenza another inspection is carried
out at a later date, for the sake of those who were absent on the
first occasion. Dental inspection at school gives the dentist an
opportunity of talking with the boys and girls individually, especially
those whose mouths are neglected and in bad condition. A
cheerful atmosphere at inspection tends to overcome the dread of
the dentist and the dental chair.
All work in the Clinic is carried out to give the little patients
the minimum of pain. A local anresthetic is given for the
extraction of all temporary teeth, and some permanent teeth,
except those which are septic, and also for very sensitive cavities
to be filled in permanent teeth. Septic temporary teeth are
extracted by a local application of ethyl-chloride, except where the
child is very nervous when nitrous-oxide is used. Septic permanent
teeth are extracted under gas, to which one session per week is
devoted, when Dr. Thomson attends as anaesthetist.
Regulation of teeth is done, where possible, by judicious
extraction, and regulation plates are made in a few cases. All bad
cases are sent to Guy's or the London Hospital.