View report page

48
Officer, etc.). Also all the children in the Physically Defective
School.
The inclusion of the latter children for Routine
Treatment has, and will take up a fair amount of time for
treatment, considering the cases individually, as most of
these children have received no previous dental treatment.
There is a steadily increasing number of ' consents '
and requests for treatment by parents, who now appreciate
the benefit of the Scheme, and very few refuse treatment
when it is offered at the School Inspection.
" This, in addition to the arrears of cases brought
forward from 1926, gave me a waiting list of approximately
400 children throughout the year, and it was thought
inadvisable to re-inspect the groups aged 8 and 9. The
parents of children who have been previously treated at the
Clinic usually bring the child for re-treatment if the necessity
is obvious, irrespective of the child being re-inspected, so
these children will not suffer in consequence.
" Children requiring treatment, including ' Specials,'
show a reduction of approximately 11 per cent. as compared
with 1925, and 1 have no doubt this figure would have been
increased had all the age groups been re-inspected, and
tends to show that the Routine Treatment is beginning to
have the desired effect.
" There was an increase of 38 in the administration of
general anaesthetics as compared with 1926.
" At the inspections of smaller Schools where the
number to be inspected did not occupy the whole of the
session, the balance of the time was spent at the Clinic with
treatment.
" The programme for 1928 is to inspect and treat
children born 1918 and subsequently."
EMPLOYMENT OF CHILDREN.
The School Medical Officer examines all applicants and
issues certificates as to their physical fitness.
During the year 66 schoolchildren over 12 years of age
were issued with certificates under the Bye-laws permitting
their employment on milk and paper rounds, and five over
school age as street traders.