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The Chief Dental Officer attended two courses during the year; one
held at Bristol was a refresher course on dental treatment of the handicapped
patient, the other, held in London, was a course on administration for senior
members of the local authority dental service. Dental officers hope to attend
more courses and conferences in future in order to keep abreast with current
trends and to improve the image of the school service.
The professional staff would like to record their thanks especially
to Mr.R.A.Pfeebles, consultant oral surgeon, and to Mr.H.Orton, consultant
orthodontist, both at Kingston Hospital, for the most courteous attention
given to all patients referred for consultation; thanks are due also to medical
practitioners for their co-operation in providing case histories where necessary
and in prescription of drugs, especially antibiotics. The assistance of local
medical and dental colleagues is of the utmost importance and the staff
appreciate this in the borough of Kingston.
CLINICS
There are six clinics within the borough, two of which are twin surgery
clinics. At Acre road, one of the newest clinics, one surgery is used for the
orthodontic department, this being extremely convenient for the orthodontic
staff as the Surrey County Council Dental Laboratory is situated in these premises,
and Kingston shares these facilities. The laboratory staff under the supervision
of Mr,Hicks are at all times most co-operative.
All the clinics are now equipped with high speed apparatus, and there
is sufficient X-ray and general anaesthetic apparatus in the clinics.
SCHOOL INSPECTIONS
In spite of a concerted effort in the last few months of the year, it
was not possible to inspect all the schools in the borough. However, this is to
be a priority in the ensuing year, since a large demand for dental treatment,
whether through the school service or the National Health Service, comes as a
direct result of school inspections.
The Chief Dental Officer undertook special responsibility for handicapped
persons. Pupils at Bedelsford School were inspected and treated where
necessary at Grange Road Clinic. Children at St.Philip's School and those
attending the Kingston Training Centre were also inspected, and children
requesting treatment were generally referred to the clinic nearest to their
homes, both for convenience and to spread the caseload rather than overtax one