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officer in place of Mr. H. A. Coysh and Mr. H. V. Houlton, who
till then had given part-time service to the extent of six sessions
per week during the school year. The staff now consists of two
full time officers working 11 sessions per week each. The total
School population entitled to annual dental inspection is over
6,000, and treatment is also, given to patients referred from the
two Maternity and Child Welfare Centres. The attendances of
these patients numbered 1,620 in 1938.
The total amount of work done in the dental department
for Elementary, Secondary, Polytechnic, and Maternity and
Child Welfare patients (mothers and children) in 831 treatment
sessions in 1938 was as follows:—
Patients given complete treatment 3,162
Attendances 6,988
Teeth filled 5,642
Teeth extracted 5,780
Dentures fitted 49
Scalings 191
Temporary dressings inserted in permanent teeth 611
Other operations—AgN03 etc. 404
Administrations of Nitrous Oxide 2,383
On July 8th we commenced work in the new Brentford
Health Centre. The dental department consists of a selfcontained
block of four rooms—waiting room, surgery, with my
small Dental Officer's room adjoining, recovery room, and
clerks' office. In all four rooms the walls, cupboards, furniture
and equipment are in the same shade of cream enamel, the
tiles are light buff, and all metal parts chromium plated. This
makes the equipment less conspicuous, and the whole effect is
light and pleasing. The cupboards have been planned to contain
all the moveable surgical and office equipment when not in use,
as for example in the surgery the gas apparatus, and in the
office the typewriter and files. The arrangement of the surgery
is planned to facilitate a definite system of work. This system
is based on that described by Dr. Braun of Oslo some years ago,
with slight modifications and additions suggested to me by
observing Austrian and German methods. The chief objects
of this system are to prevent the use on or by a patient of any
article contaminated by saliva of another patient and to ensure
the working together of the operator and his assistant with the
maximum amount of harmony, efficiency and economy of
energy and time. The system presupposes, as a general rule,