View report page

21
regard the clinic in any other light than that of an emergency
centre for extractions, and to this largely, is due the low percentage
of acceptances following routine inspections, in fact both
parent and child freely state it.
The casual case is the bane of the Clinics and is still as
evident as of old; the more facilities there are for their immediate
treatment, the less the acceptance of treatment at
routine inspection.
A tribute is due to the nurses on the medical staff. They
have consistently visited cases failing to attend and have done
much good work in difficult cases where an explanatory visit was
necessary. Their able handling of these cases has assisted the
Clinic and been good propaganda as well.
Though the conservative work of the Clinic stands high, still
too, unhappily, does the number of extractions. Thousands of
permanent teeth are sacrificed because the parent or child would
not accept early treatment."
Mr. L. W. Elmer, L.D.S., reports as follows: —
"It is with great pleasure that I am able to report a slow but
nevertheless a decided progress in the various branches of work
undertaken. By this is meant an increased willingness on the part
of both parents and children to attend for all kinds of dental
treatment, in distinction to a mere desire for the relief of pain.
"In other words, it is being increasingly realised that the true
function of the Dental Surgeon is not so much the relief of pain,
ill-health and disfigurement, but its prevention.
"The most noticeable demonstrations of this new and better
attitude are (1) the larger proportion of acceptances after routine
inspections and (2) the large number of independent requests for
treatment made by parents.
"The significance of these two facts is that an increasing
number of parents are becoming aware of the necessity for early
treatment of dental defects.
"The proportion of acceptances of treatment by parents has,
as mentioned above, materially increased, and a particularly
pleasing sign is that the proportions no longer decrease so alarmingly
with the increase in the age of the children. The actual
percentages are as follows: Infants 50, Juniors 58, Seniors 45.
"These figures show a drop when the children reach 'years
of discretion,' but the small extent in comparison with earlier
years is encouraging. If the acceptance by children from the