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Besides the ordinary routine medical inspections by the School
Medical Officers, the Dentists themselves make periodical visits at the
schools, and schedule those children requiring dental treatment. The
system has been employed of commencing with the entrant group of school
children and giving such treatment to their defective teeth as they
require. The following year the entrants are examined and the group of
the previous year also. The next year three groups are examined, and so
on. Thus four groups are now kept under regular supervision. In addition
to this routine method of inspection and treatment, the Head
Teachers of all the departments are permitted to refer for treatment
urgent cases, to the number of four from each department, on a particular
day each week. On that day one of the Assistant School Medical Officers
is deputed to be in attendance at the clinic for the administration of an
anaesthetic. Unless in the most urgent cases, where time and expediency
do not allow of it, the parent's written consent is required to the operation
or, alternatively, the parent accompanies the child.
It is much regretted that a large percentage of refusals of dental
treatment are still received. Much time is spent in urging unwilling
parents to reconsider their decision not to allow of treatment, that could
more profitably be occupied in visiting schools and in treating and reexamining
those who have already profited by the dental services. The
obstinacy of the objecting parents is exceedingly unreasonable, for the
utmost care is taken by the dentists to avoid causing pain, and the
children themselves appear to have no fear of the dental chair.
Regulation of teeth forms part of the work of the dentists, and their
efforts are accompanied by gratifying results.
(t) Crippling Defects and Orthopaedics.
A register is kept of all children in Tottenham known to be suffering
from crippling defects. Information is supplied for the purpose of
this registration by the medical officers attached to both branches of the
service, by health visitors, school nurses, teachers, and attendance
officers. The children are diligently followed up to ascertain whether
the utmost is being done, and, if not. to urge that it shall be done for
the restoration to the fullest amount of usefulness of the disabled member.
There is no general scheme applicable to crippled children in the
area. The Prince of Wales's Hospital, situated as it is in Tottenham,