London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Tottenham 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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| School Children | Students | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Parents approached | 3630 | 31 | 3661 | |||
| Parents accepting | 2778 | 76.5 | 28 | 90.3 | 2806 | 76.6 |
| Number tested | 2622 | 27 | 2649 | |||
| Number found to be Mantoux positive | 181 | 6.9 | 4 | 14.8 | 185 | 7.0 |
| Number found to be Mantoux legative | 2295 | 87.5 | 23 | 85.2 | 2318 | 87.5 |
| Number failing to attend for Mantoux reading | 146 | 5.6 | _ | _ | 146 | 5.5 |
| Number vaccinated (% of those approached) | 2281 | 62.8 | 23 | 74.2 | 2304 | 62.9 |
School Dental Service
The Area Dental Officer, Miss Hunt, reports the staff consisted of five full-time
dental officers, the area dental officer, and sessional dental officers ranging from
two to five at times working from five to eighteen sessions per week. One full-time
dental officer has reached pensionable age and is re-employed on an annual agreement.
The orthodontist undertakes six to seven sessions weekly.
The dental surgery assistant situation has been variable. Difficulty was
experienced at the beginning of the year as replacements were unobtainable. Later
there was an improvement which was maintained.
Sick leave of dental officers and surgery assistants on occasions caused some
disruption of the service.
16,904 pupils were inspected, being 61% of the school roll, and of these 11,078
(67%) required treatment. 54% of this number received treatment, and made an average
of three attendances per child.
Our aim is to conserve the dentition, and 14.5 permanent teeth were filled for
each permanent tooth extracted for disease. Nevertheless, 57 children were fitted
with dentures.
Although it was obvious at routine school inspections that a good deal of treatment
was carried out by practitioners in the National Health Service, the demand for the
services of the dental officers in the clinics was considerable.
Broken appointments for all patients amounted to 25%, a further disappointing
increase of 3% over those for 1960.
Evening sessions numbering 154 were worked and were well attended showing their
value. Appointments after school hours are appreciated by older children who may not
want to miss lessons.
411 sessions were devoted to orthodontic treatment, and 122 of these were carried
out bydental officers. This emphasises the long-standing inadequacy of the orthodontic
arrangements, and the urgent need to expand and improve the service.
Plans have been approved for the building of a new dental clinic at High Cross,
Tottenham, It will have two surgeries, and will be a welcome replacement for the one
at the rear of the Town Hall.