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Routine work of the dental department
The routine work of providing dental treatment
for children continued to become more
sophisticated Extraction of teeth plays only
a very small part in the daily duty of a local
authority dental officer at the present time.
Apart from the routine restoration of both
primarvand permanent teeth by means of the
usual filling materials, a comprehensive
orthodontic service is provided and in the
past few years, an increasing number of
fractured incisor teeth have been restored
to their normal function and appeaance by
either porcelain jacket crowns or gold backed
post crowns
The continuing unmet demand for dental
treatment is sufficient evidence to justify
the expansion of this important service; to
meet this demand it will be necessary for
local authorities, particularly in large urban
areas, to undertake a complete review of
their staffing structures and ensure the
provision of stable and adequate professional
staffing backed by sufficient clerical
assistance to enable professional officers
to function with maximum efficiency
Mother and child welfare
Requests for dental treatment for pre-school
children continued to be less than desirable
and it will clearly be a great many years
before dental treatment for pre-school children
becomes a normal pattern of social behaviour.
Talks have been given to groups of expectant
mothers during the year in an endeavour to
improve this situation.
Occupational Health Service
The borough set up a comprehensive
occupational health service for staff in July
1967 and is one of the very few county or
municipal boroughs to run such a service
The service has an occupational physician
Dr A R Broadbent and nursing staff and is
administered from the occupational section
of the Health Department at the Bath Road
Health Centre.
The occupational health service has its
aim; to maintain and promote the health of
the employees of the council' There are
about 8 000 full and part-time staff employed
by the council in more than 50 different
occupations
Staff health clinics are held each week
in Hounslow and Isleworth where members
of staff can attend for a consultation with
the doctor or nurse Particular attention is
given to the disabled the young and the
older employees who may have special health
problems related to their employment. More
people in the community who are past the age
of normal retirement are wishing to continue
in full or part-time work Providing there is
adequate medical supervision of these workers
and the work is congenial, the activity will
often help the older person to keep well in
body and mind One school caretaker aged 70
working a full week said 'doing this job keeps
me fit and healthv doctor'

In July 1969 the occupational health service
was extended to the industries of the borough
Employers and managers can obtain medical
advice on industrial health problems arising
in their factories and offices.
The maintenance and promotion of the health
of employees is coming to be accepted as a
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