View report page

73
(h) Dental Treatment.—Miss M. M. Loretz, the School
Dental Surgeon, reports :—
During the year 1935, 4,465 children were inspected in the
course of 24 routine dental inspections held in the schools.
Three schools, about 700 children in all, were awaiting inspection
at the end of the year. 491 children attended the Clinic for
emergency inspections ; the majority of these were absent from
the school inspection and were subsequently referred by the
School Medical Officer or Head Teachers. 419 Leavers were
inspected in the course of 11 special sessions devoted to these
examinations with instructions on oral hygiene given as
described in previous reports. In all 618 Leavers were offered
treatment before their school leaving date, 414 accepted it and
received certificates of Dental Fitness.
3,289 of the 4,465 children examined at the school routine
inspections were found to require treatment and 76 per cent.
accepted. 3,032 children were given complete treatment during
the year. This figure includes children referred from Routine,
Special and Leavers Inspections.
In the summer of this year the Committee decided that :
" Parents of children of the age of 10 and over who refuse dental
treatment for a child requiring the same and/or do not regularly
obtain such treatment for the child when advised of the
necessity thereof, be no longer offered dental treatment under
the School Medical Scheme."
It was hoped that under the threat of complete withdrawal
of offers of treatment all spasmodic acceptances would become
permanent ones, with the result that the children would receive
the full benefit of regular treatment, and the service be spared
the waste of time involved in treating defects of several years
standing. The remaining cases, in which the decision would be
enforced, would be refusals from parents beyond conversion,
whose children would not have attended the clinic in any case.
Notice of this decision was sent to parents only in the last quarter
of this year, but the response so far recorded shows that it will
probably have the desired effect.
The After Care Dental Scheme continues to function
smoothly, but the number of new enrolments is discouraging,
being only 10 per cent. of the children who obtained certificates