View report page

27
"The exceptional number of infants for whom treatment is
required and requested is more noticeable than ever, no fewer than
69.5 per cent. of those requiring treatment having received it.
It is obvious that if these small children can be treated carefully
and well so that, when rather older, neither they nor their parents
object to attending again, their permanent teeth can be preserved
and the great majority of children can leave our hands with sound
sets of teeth.
"This greater number of aoceptanoes has produced, however, a
fresh problem. It will be agreed that the examination of children
is of little or no use if this is not followed up by treatment, and I
find that the examination of a little over 5,000 children has produced
enough acceptances to keep me busy for twelve months. As
the figures on the register for last year were 19,633, making an
average for each dental surgeon of 9,816, it will be seen that it is
impossible to examine and treat even the present number of acceptances
in much less than two years.
''As it is considered necessary, if the work is to be done
thoroughly, to examine children yearly, it will be seen that a vicious
circle has been created. In other words, the more children who
accept treatment, the less often oan it be afforded to them, and the
less often it is offered to them, the more treatment will naturally
be required.
"Until every child oan be offered and, if necessary, receive
treatment at a smaller interval than at present no dental scheme
can be complete.
"I am positive that, were parents interviewed at dental inspections
as they are at medical inspections, the number of acceptances
could be increased greatly, and in this I speak from experience,
but, of course, it would be of no use doing this unless there were
greater facilities for treatment available.
"The new arrangement under which each dental surgeon acts
as an anaesthetist for the other means that only one-half of the time
formerly given is now available to each patient at "gas" sessions.
"This reduces the opportunity for personal contact with the
parents, upon which continued acceptance of treatment must
depend.
"During the latter half of 1934 each Dental Surgeon has devoted
1½ sessions weekly to the administration of anaesthetics for the
other, and all preventive work has perforce to be omitted on the
three sessions devoted to anæsthetics. Also, owing to the greater