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
Ilford 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ilford]
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School Dental Service.—At the end of the year there were three
full-time Dental Officers and one part-time officer attending six sessions
weekly.
Owing to the increased Dental Staff it was possible for the Dentists
to visit some of the schools for the purposes of inspection. 3,409 children
were inspected at schools of which 2,483 required treatment.
Children seen by the doctors at routine medical inspections and at
the School Clinics, who are found to require dental treatment, are referred
to the Dental Clinics.
In addition to the 2,483 children referred for treatment by the Dental
Surgeons at School Inspections there were 2,111 children specially
referred by parents, teachers and School Doctors.
The amount of dental disease present in children at various ages is shown by the following table relating to school children inspected by the School Dental Officers:—
| Age Groups (in years) | No. of Children inspected at School | No. of Children referred for treatment | No. of Children specially inspected at the Clinic | Total number of Children referred for treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 270 | 168 | 315 | 483 |
| 6 | 351 | 221 | 373 | 594 |
| 7 | 359 | 231 | 240 | 471 |
| 8 | 452 | 390 | 259 | 649 |
| 9 | 420 | 370 | 168 | 538 |
| 10 | 359 | 249 | 216 | 465 |
| 11 | 270 | 203 | 169 | 372 |
| 12 | 260 | 182 | 158 | 340 |
| 18 | 279 | 191 | 101 | 292 |
| 14 | 296 | 191 | 83 | ' 274 |
| 15 | 93 | 87 | 27 | 114 |
| 16 | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 3409 | 2483 | 2111 | 4594 |
In addition to the ordinary dental work of fillings and extractions,
19 dentures and 167 regulation plates were supplied. Further, 52 X-ray
examinations of the teeth of children of school age were carried out at
the Mayesbrook Dental Clinic.
Full details of the dental work are shown in Table V.
Open-air School.—During 1952 the number on the roll varied from
81 on 31.12.51 to 97 on 31.12.52. The number of admissions was 44 and
the number of discharges was 28.
Debility without any other defect accounted for a total of 6 children
in 1952, as against 13 in 1951 and 17 in 1950, 1 of the 6 was discharged
to ordinary school during the course of the year.
Those admitted were recommended for examination from the
following sources:—