View report page

27
"Proportion needing treatment.— Of this number it was
found that 7,395 needed treatment of some kind or other. I
will refer again to the conditions which these two figures
imply.
"Treated.—Of these 7,395 children, the parents of 6,713
agreed to their receiving treatment. I think that this figure
denotes that a very large proportion appreciated the services
offered them.
"Specials.—In excess of, and apart from, the above numbers,
we have the figure of 1,514 Specials. What is meant by
the term 'Special'? It denotes one who, quite apart from
the routine inspections, asks, through the parents, for treatment.
At first sight it would appear that these parents who,
on their own initiative, ask for treatment are the most
appreciative and deserve most consideration.
"But, unfortunately, the majority of them are those who,
upon receiving a notification of some defect, say: 'I can't
see much wrong,' or ' I'm not going to have my child treated,
he does not suffer from toothache,' and refuse treatment.
"This is the parent who ' knows best,' and if he or she
really did know best all would be well. But, alas, sooner or
later his child (and the parent) has a sleepless night, and
there he is at Lloyd Park, child in hand, clamouring for
immediate treatment. And, for the sake of the child, it is
given.
"But, while this child is being relieved of pain, pain which
he has suffered unnecessarily, another child, whose parents
have wished for real preventive treatment, is not receiving
it. As shown, there are 1,500 of these parents yearly, treating
the Clinic as a cheap " extraction shop," and it will readilv
be seen that if only this state of mind could be prevented,
far more useful treatment could be given to those who
desire it.
"Number of attendances.—The difference between this
figure and that of the number of children treated indicates
the number who could not be completed in one attendance
and came oftener.
"Fillings.—The proportion of these carried out in the
permanent to those in the first dentition indicates the growing
appreciation by the staff that the permanent teeth have first
claim on the surgeon's time. At the same time, this does not
imply an indifference to the importance of the deciduous teeth.
"Extractions.—The figure indicates that the total of 6,713
children had 9,836 teeth so badly decayed that they were
unsavable. If one adds to this the 5,655 teeth which were