View report page

It must be realized that with the abnormal increase in the school population, it is no
longer possible to meet the demands of a complete Dental Scheme with the present Dental
Staff, and the matter of making the half-time Dental Surgeon's post a whole time one is a
very real necessity if the work is to be carried out at all satisfactorily, the only alternative
being to relax the annual Dental Inspection of each school child, and to inspect and treat
such children as conditions allow.
The work divides itself into sections:—
(1) Inspection.
(2) Conservative Treatment.
(3) Treatment by Extractions, with and without general anaesthetics.
(4) Orthodontic Treatment.
(5) Other Operations.
Inspection.
The number of children inspected—7,519, is somewhat higher than last year's figure.
Of these 6,254, or 83.2 per cent., were found to require treatment.
The Routine Inspections have completely surveyed the children in the schools, apart
from absentees, objectors, and the children in the Marlborough School, which was opened
late in the year.
Since the appointment of the half-time Dental Surgeon, all inspections have been done
by this officer, and the Dental Nurse has again proved her usefulness in every detail within
her capacity in the Clinic work, particularly in exlaining how to adjust expansion and other
screws in Orthodontic cases, taking impressions, etc.
The endeavour to catch absentees from Dental Inspections by informing the parents
that their children had missed the annual Dental Inspection, and offering them the opportunity
to come to the Clinic if they wished, was continued, but only 41 availed themselves of
this opportunity out of the total absentee number of 494.
With regard to the Board's Table IV., Group IV. (Dental Defects, page 39) it should
be noted that the number of "Specials," 1,788, represents special "Inspections" of various
kinds at the Clinic and not individual children. Some of these Specials will also have had
a Routine Dental Inspection and be included in these figures. They also may have had to
be referred more than once as Specials, and will thus have been recorded on each occasion as
a special inspection. The 1,788 are made up as follows:—
(1) Referred for Gas, or Gas and Ethyl Chloride 1104
(2) Advice given 362
(3) Treatment postponed 316
(4) Inspection after Gas—required further treatment 6
1788
Conservative Treatment.
It may be said that the chief aim of the treatment here is towards conserving the teeth,
keeping extractions down to a minimum. This is indicated by the fillings figure—3,858, which
works out at 105 fillings per 100 children treated ; the figure for the whole country averages
70 fillings per 100 children treated (Health of the School Child, 1931).
Good results continue to be obtained from the Silver Nitrate treatment referred to last
year. A saving financially has been secured by buying Zinc Oxide and Eugenol in small
quantities instead of proprietary articles. This allowed a more extensive use of this mixture
for lining deep cavities, a treatment which continues to give us all we desire; freedom from
pain, and saving of pulps. Two hundred and seven such treatments were applied in 1932.
Extractions.
The number of teeth extracted was 6,117 (946 Permanent; 5,171 Temporary), which
again compares favourably with the average for the country as given in the same report above
referred to. The average figure is 207 per 100 children treated ; our figure was 167 extractions
per 100 children treated, again indicating the desire to save rather than extract a tooth
which can be made useful.
A plea is here entered to all those colleagues upon whom the duty of reporting lies, to
make their statistics on the lines here attempted, or alternatively, to suggest a better standard
by which the activities of various Clinics can be better compared.
The form of the Board's Table IV. showing dental defects has again been amplified
(see next page) in order to show items of information which may help towards the proper
comparison of the dental statistics of different authorities. A better appreciation of their
import is conveyed to the reader if opposite certain figures percentages and notes are given
throughout the whole table, where possible and applicable.
25