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Increase in Cases Handled.
During the year 1934 the Orthodontic Section has handled no fewer than 196 new cases—an
increase of 110 over the new cases recorded for the previous year. This very considerable
addition to the number of new patients passing through the hands of the Section deserves consideration
from two distinct points of view.
The fact that such an increase has occured without causing any disturbance in the Clinic's
normal routine dental practice offers a strong argument in support of the contention that the
restriction of orthodontics to one session per week will not prevent the treatment of a large number
of cases, and will not give rise to confusion in allied sections of the Clinic.
At one time and in some quarters it was alleged that a single session each week could not
hope to cope with a large number of cases and still give full attention to each patient, especially in
view of the fact that orthodontics is so highly specialised a subject. The limitation of time
imposed by a single session per week would, it was thought, permit of only a percentage of the
cases being treated; additional sessions, on the other hand, would seriously jeopardize the regular
dental work. The past year has proved beyond a shadow of doubt that such fears are ill-founded.
The second point of view which emerges from a realisation of this growth in the number of
cases receiving attention is the fact that it indicates a strengthening of the co-operation which must
exist between the parents and the Clinic. During 1934 the outlook of the parents has undergone
a decided change for the better—parents have become more " orthodontic minded."
Without their co-operation, it is of course, impossible to make any headway in the successful
application of an orthodontic scheme at a school clinic. Any indication, therefore, of an
increased sense of understanding on the part of parents should be a matter of considerable
satisfaction.
Parents are now prepared, if necessary, to make some sacrifices in order to ensure that their
children may be permitted to receive full orthodontic treatment.
The year under review was, moreover, notable for many instances of the receipt of precise
enquiries from parents as to the exact benefits likely to accrue from the treatment of malocclusion,
and this, be it noted, was in reference to children who had not at that time received any attention
whatsoever at the Clinic.
I think you will agree with me, therefore, that this enlargement of interest and fuller sense
of responsibility on the part of the parents is in every way a most satisfactory feature of the year's
work.
The Weekly Session.
At this pioneer clinic we still have the satisfaction of being able to proclaim that no case is
ever refused treatment. The operation of the orthodontic scheme is truly comprehensive—all
who come are served—and there is never any question here of selecting only a certain number of
the prospective patients in order to suit the working arrangements of the staff.
The fact that the steadily increasing number of cases is being handled without difficulty is,
in itself, a tribute to the efficiency of the organisation and the intelligent co-operation of the entire
staff, to whom my thanks are again due for their work throughout 1934.
No ordinary dental work is, of course, attended to on the session day, so that the whole
time at my disposal can be devoted strictly to the examination of orthodontic cases. The clinic's
dental surgeons have, during the course of their normal routine inspections, noted in advance all
instances of malocclusion and have made the necessary arrangements for the patients to attend the
sessions. The history of each case is provided by the dental nurse, together with any personal
observations of the dental surgeon who has introduced the patient. In this way I am able to
diagnose, and prescribe treatment for, a large number of cases with a minimum expenditure of
time per case.
Orthodontic Appliances.
Throughout 1934 there has been need for a larger number of the simple types of appliances
which it is my practice to specify. This increase, however, has been on a pro rata scale, and is of
course, due to the rise in the number of patients treated. Actually, the fact has emerged that a
greater number of treatments does not call for a disproportionate increase in either time devoted
to or financial expenditure on the production of the requisite amount of apparatus.
I would go further, indeed, and observe that experience gained during the year has even
enabled me to reduce the ratio of appliances used to patients treated. It is my aim to use always
as little apparatus as possible in the treatment of malocclusion.
It may be worth pointing out at this stage that the work engendered by the Orthodontic
Section does not call for the employment of a full time mechanic; indeed, the introduction of such
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