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Dental Cleanliness
Standards of dental cleanliness were recorded as good, fair or poor. Those which were good
are grouped as satisfactory and those which were fair or poor as unsatisfactory. 90 per cent of children
were considered to have satisfactory oral hygiene and 10 per cent unsatisfactory.
Discussion
Great variation was found in the percentage of children who were caries free in different schools.
Whether this represents a true difference or is a reflection of the differences between the examiners
it is not possible to say. Different treatment patterns by dentists practising in the area is an additional
complication. A tooth scores one point if it is a large filling or a "prophylactic" filling in a sticky spot
on the tooth.
It is disturbing to find 5 per cent of children who had eight teeth or more which were decayed,
missing or filled.
The examinations were carried out under far from ideal conditions. It was not possible to use
radiographs (X-rays) which show up early cavities on hidden surfaces of the teeth. It is possible that
we underestimated the amount of decay present.
Conclusion
The need for regular dental examinations of pre-school children is shown by the number of
children entering school with decayed, missing or extracted teeth. To make a more accurate assessment
of the true state of dental health of children in the Borough would require selected children to
be examined by one examiner to eliminate examiner variability.
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