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children were inspected as special cases. The total number of
children thus examined amounted to 4,585. This represents a
decrease of four hundred and eighty on the figure for 1936.
There were 3,313, or 72.25%, found to require treatment and
their parents were notified accordingly. During the previous
year the figure was 68.35%.
The number of children actually treated was 1,771, or
53.45% of those found to require treatment. It is still difficult
to obtain consent for treatment in a considerable number
of cases. When appointments are not kept visits are paid to
the homes by the School Nurses, and every effort is made to
get the parents to attend with their children at the Dental
Clinic. The Saturday morning sessions continue to show
a good average attendance.
Forty-three half days were devoted to dental inspection
in the schools and three hundred and sixty-four half days
to treatment at the Health Centre.
The number of attendances made by children for treatment
amounted to 3,826. This is ninety-two fewer than the
figure for the previous year. The average number of children
attending for treatment per session was 10.51, a slight decrease
as compared with the figure of 11.59 for 1936.
The total number of fillings amounted to 2,541 or eightynine
less than during the previous year. The number of teeth
extracted shows a decrease of two hundred and ten, the total
figure for the year being 2,979. Seven hundred and forty-nine
general anaesthetics were administered for dental extractions,
an increase of thirteen as compared with the figure for 1936.
It will be noticed that very little time is now devoted to
the filling of temporary teeth, only fourteen being filled during
the year. It is considered essential to devote as much of the
available time as possible to the preservation of permanent
teeth.
(h) Orthopaedic and Postural Defects. Sessions of the
Orthopaedic Clinic were held every month with the exception
of August.
Sixty-one new cases were seen and one hundred and ninety
re-examinations were carried out. The average number of
children seen by the Orthopædic Surgeon per session was
twenty-three. During the previous year the figure was thirtythree.