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Oral hygiene was better than had been expected
and only 26 cases were noted as being unsatisfactory.
Table 3 gives details of children who, by the age of
five, visited a dentist regularly.

Discussion
A quarter of the children examined were found to
have lost or to require extraction of one or more
deciduous teeth by the age of five years. Many of these
teeth would not normally be replaced by a permanent
successor until the age of about 11 years. Masticatory
efficiency is thus impaired for a period of at least five
years and the premature loss of these teeth may also
cause irregularity of the permanent teeth which in
later years will necessitate prolonged orthodontic
treatment.
The routine school dental inspection was, for the
majority of children, the first introduction to regular
dental care. The findings emphasise the importance of
the routine school dental inspection and also indicate
clearly the urgency of persuading many more parents
to seek regular dental care for their children before
they enter school.
We would like to thank Miss F Bowie and Miss S
Robinson for their assistance in collecting part of the
data used in this paper.
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