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"Some of the parents and grandparents had good teeth, and
others suffered from early loss of teeth. The mothers had not taken
any additions to their diet during pregnancy. Some of the children
were breast fed.
"Some of the children disliked vegetables and preferred fruit,
but where the vegetables were disliked they were insisted on in
small quantities. Many ate fruit after other foods.
"The meals were regular, with no snacks in between meals.
Regular hours were kept and the children went to bed early.
"Some of the children cleaned the teeth night and morning;
others never did one or the other.
"It appeared that parents of these children did not have a
good dentition, and the children therefore did not 'inherit' good
teeth.
"One thing which all these children had was a good mother,
who did her best with the means at her disposal.
"These cases, as far as possible, will be followed up during
their school life.
''In spite of the continued treatment the numbers of children
requiring constant attention remains the same. The leaver passes
out of the care of the dental officer and the new entrant fills in the
gap.
"During the last year the amount of treatment necessary for
each child greatly increased.
"The aim of the School Dental Service is prevention, and this
is a matter calling for urgent attention and intensive propaganda."
(h) Orthopaedic and Postural Defects.—Medical treatment
of these defects was given under the Orthopaedic Scheme in charge
of the Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr. Whitchurch Howell,
F.R.C.S., who held a monthly clinic at the Physically Defective
School, and later at the Open Air School. Mr. Whitchurch Howell
also acts as Honorary Surgeon to the Brookfield Orthopaedic
Hospital, a voluntary institution of 30 beds recognised as a Hospital
School by both the Ministry of Health and the Board of Education.
The Hospital was taken over by the Essex County Council with
effect from 1st December, 1936.