London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
East Ham 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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143
Some Local Authorities have found it necessary to appoint
one of their Dental Officers as Senior, and make him responsible
for the Dental Service to the Medical Officer of Health. May I
suggest that this be done in our own County Borough, in order
to insure greater co-ordination, greater efficiency and a really
complete Dental Service.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE CENTRES.
Details of the dental work done for the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres are shown in the following table:—
| No. of Sessions devoted to Treatment | No. of Attendances | No. of Permanent Teeth | No. of Temporary Teeth | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | Children | Extracted | Filled | Extracted | Filled | |
| 85 | 303 | 533 | 415 | 77 | 669 | 110 |
| Total No. of Extractions | Total No. of Fillings | No. of Administrations of General Anaesthetics | No. of other Operations | |||
| Permanent Teeth | Tem porary Teeth | |||||
| 1084 | 187 | 96 | 163 | 92 | ||
Two sessions per week are devoted to the cases referred by
the Medical Officers of the Maternity and Child Welfare Clinics.
Extractions of temporary and permanent teeth are done under gas
or local anaesthesia, and fillings inserted where possible. Dentures
have been made for the mothers where necessary.
I would urge a more suitable anaesthetic than nitrous-oxide
for the babies under five years of age, and improved apparatus.
May I thank that Medical Officers Nurses, Head Teachers,
and Clerical Staff for their co-operation during the year 1938.
(i) Crippling Defects.
1. Orthopaedic and Postural Defects.
In November, 1929, the Authority entered into an agreement
with Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, in respect of a complete
scheme for the treatment of orthopaedic cases.