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Dr. Susannah Davidson, Medical Director of the Child Guidance Training Centre, was engaged
by the Inner London Education Authority to work at each of the schools on an alternate weekly
basis, as from January 1967. Thus the foundation stone was laid. Future plans include the attachment
of a social worker (health services) to work at the school to co-ordinate efforts.
SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE
This service comes under the control of the Inner London Education Authority and Mr. G.P.
Mailer, our Chief Dental Officer, holds the appointment of Principal School Dental Officer of the
Inner London Education Authority and is responsible for the conduct of the Service in the Borough.
Mr. Mailer reports as follows:-
During the year a number of important changes took place. In February the Authority appointed
Mr. K.C.B. Webster as Dental Adviser. This was followed shortly by a meeting of all Principal School
Dental Officers at the County Hall on 10 March, under the Chairmanship of the Dental Adviser, at
which agreement was reached on a recommendation to the Authority for a comprehensive reorganisation
of the dental services; sub-committees were elected to review the various aspects of the existing
service. As a result of these deliberations a comprehensive report was submitted to the authority,
which commended certain recommendations to all Inner London Borough Health Committees. Camden
Health Committee adopted the recommendations on 21 September 1966. Among these recommendations
was a return as soon as possible to regular routine dental inspections of all pupils in schools. In
the interim both the routine inspection scheme and the optional (SH.59) scheme would be worked
simultaneously. The system that pertained in the past has entailed providing new dental record cards
(11M) (with all relevant details inscribed upon it) for each child inspected. Some 6,855 forms 11M
were thus initiated in 1966. Also many new forms have had to be introduced and a new method of
making appointments direct from the clinics was started. This has thrown a heavy burden on all
dental officers and dental surgery attendants. I wish to thank them most sincerely for their help
and co-ordination during this difficult period.
During the year, of the 6,855 children inspected, 4,256 required some treatment. 5,243
courses of treatment were commenced and 82 per cent. were completed. The restoration/extraction
rate continued to be very satisfactory. Twenty-one permanent teeth saved/one permanent tooth extracted
and 2.5 deciduous teeth saved to one extracted. These figures compare very favourably with
the national average which is 5.3 permanent teeth saved to one extracted and 0.6 deciduous teeth
filled to one extracted.
The Authority also initiated a programme of re-equipping dental surgeries to bring them up
to a modern standard of efficiency. In Camden, by the end of the year, new operating lamps had been
installed in all surgeries, the obsolescent anaesthetic machines replaced with two modern Alton V's
and two more X-ray machines installed. The programme of modernisation will be phased over two
years. It was hoped that during the year we would have been able to make good the loss of the double
surgery at South Highgate. Unfortunately, the two projects which have been put in motion did not result
in any achievement as the premises were then used for other priorities. However, the Inner London
Education Authority are providing mobile surgeries for use on a bookable basis. The first two will
be available in 1967. Although this will help to alleviate the immediate local problem of shortage of
dental premises it will not provide a permanent solution.
HOSPITALS
During the year close co-operation between the Department and two dental hospitals, Eastman
and University College Hospital, was firmly established. Professor Winter, Head of the Department
of children's Dentistry at Eastman Dental Hospital, is carrying out a survey on dental decay in the
younger child and is being clinically assisted by the Principal School Dental Officer in his capacity
of the Borough's Chief Dental Officer. Also the Eastman Dental Hospital are continuing to treat
orthodontic and specialist cases at the Province of Natal Centre. At University College Hospital
arrangements have been made for the treatment of handicapped children as well as a limited number
of orthodontic cases. The interest and co-operation of the hospital is much appreciated.
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