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staff and by her patients. Miss ,Loretz, as a practical idealist,
was responsible for many pioneer schemes. It was due to her
efforts that this area was the first in the country to organise a
scheme for providing dental inspection and treatment of adolescents.
The plan, nobly supported by the private practitioners
of the area, deserved to succeed; that it did not do so was due
to the fact that it was in advance of public appreciation of conservative
and preventative dentistry. The experience gained will
prove valuable in the establishment of any new service to provide
similar care during the "gap" period. Miss Loretz's record is
one of which the service is proud. The fact that this pride is
shared by the dental profession as a whole was evident when, in
1945, the British Dental Association elected Miss Loretz a lifemember.
However comprehensive the School Dental Service may
become, its development will be due, in a very large measure,
to the self-sacrificing efforts made by Miss Loretz in laying sure
foundations on which to build.
During 1945, the staff of the dental service consisted of two
full-time and one part-time Dental Officers, two full-time and
one part-time Surgery Assistants and one Junior Clerk. Over
the whole year the sessions worked by the part-time Dental Officer
were equivalent to. less than half a full-time officer. The part-time
Surgery Assistant was replaced by a full-time one in September.
A high incidence of sickness among the Surgery Assistants
emphasised strongly the contribution that these officers make
towards the efficiency and smooth running of the service. There
was a marked decrease in the number of patients treated per
session when, over a considerable period, one or other Dental
Officer was obliged to work unassisted.
The service is responsible for the dental inspection and treatment
of over 6,100 children as well as for those Ante-Natal and
Post-Natal patients and pre-school 'children referred from the
Maternity and Child Welfare Clinic. The latter service is a
constantly growing one and reference to the report on it must be
made in estimating the total work carried out by the dental service.
Attention is drawn to the fact that approximately 1,600 of the
school population attend Secondary or Technical Schools and that
a high proportion are in the latter "teen-age." It is recognised
generally that a large amount of conservative treatment is required
at that age.
Three surgeries are in use. One is at Brentford, where equipment
of a high standard in a modern and well-designed building
is available. The Chiswick Centre provides two surgeries, one
waiting room, a recovery room, an office, etc. Although the
Chiswick Centre is an old one, every effort is made to make the
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