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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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TABLE 13
| Year | Examined | Needed treatment | Accepted treatment | Made dentally fit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expectant and Nursing Mothers | 1958 & 1959 | 382 | 372 | 343 | 224 |
| 1960 & 1961 | 287 | 278 | 259 | 111 | |
| Children under five | 1958 & 1959 | 598 | 566 | 534 | 463 |
| 1960 & 1961 | 527 | 470 | 428 | 211 |
This of course was greatly to be regretted and was due extirely to the shortage of dental staff and
the difficulty experienced in the recruitment of full time dental officers. The staffing position can be readily
assessed by reference to the note on dental staff that follows. Furthermore the Oral Hygienist left in 1959.
TABLE 14
| DENTAL STAFF | ||
|---|---|---|
| Principal Dental Officer | Assistant Dental Officers | |
| 1.1.60 | 1 | 1 |
| 1.7.60 | 1 | 3 part-time equivalent to 1 full-time officer. |
| 1.1.61 | 1 | 4 part-time equivalent to 13/11 " " " |
| 1.7.61 | 1 | 4 part-time equivalent to l2/11 " " " |
| 1.1.62 | 1 | 1 full-time 2 part-time equivalent to 17/11 " " " |
Our full establishment is one Principal Dental Officer and three whole time Dental Officers and one
Oral Hygienist.
It should be remembered that nation wide studies have demonstrated that at three years of age 15
out of every 100 children have 10 or more carious teeth i.e. they have lost, virtually half their deciduous
dentition.
By the age of 4 years this has increased to 20 out of every 100, so that the importance of early dental
care and supervision in very young children cannot be overstressed.
Every effort is being made to recruit dental officers to combat the serious position, which of course
poses a problem not peculiar to East Ham alone.