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196
Report on the Work Done in the School
Dental Clinic.
To the School Medical Officer,
County Borough of East Ham,
Education Committee.
Sir,
I have much pleasure in submitting to you my report for the
year 1934.
The age groups inspected were from 5 years to 11 years
inclusive. The number of children inspected was 10,977 and the
number referred for treatment was 7,465, to which must be added
the Specials, which numbered 278. These are urgent cases of
toothache or oral sepsis referred by the School Medical Officers
and the Head Teachers.
Details will be found in the following statistical table :—
TABLE IV.
Group V. Dental Defects.
Dental inspection of the age groups 5 years to 11 years is
carried out at the schools once a year. At these inspections everything
is done to gain the confidence of the children and to impart
wholesome advice where necessary.
The treatment is carried out so that the young patients suffer
the very minimum of pain. Injections are given for the extraction
of temporary and some permanent teeth. Ethyl-chloride or
freezing is used in the case of septic temporary teeth and gas for
the majority of permanent teeth, and also for the extraction of
temporary teeth in the case of very nervous children. Small
cavities are filled in temporary teeth either with amalgam or
cement, and all cavities, where possible, are filled in permanent
teeth, particular care being taken of the first or 6 year molars.
Regulation of the permanent teeth is carried out by judicious
extraction where the mouth is overcrowded and by the making
of regulation plates. The children quickly get used to wearing
these plates, and some very good results have been obtained by