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18.5.1 One of my personal criticisms of the present arrangements is that it is necessary
to use staff from one of the established clinics in order to "work" the mobile surgery
with the result that some patients have to be deprived. I feel that it should be possible
to have the mobile surgery staffed as a complete unit. Bearing in mind that staff are
difficult to obtain these days I feel that use could be made of married women; as the
mobiles are mainly used during term time and during school hours, it should be possible
to employ female dentists on a pro rata basis so that they would work during the term
and have the school holidays when the children are at home. I believe a similar situation
exists with school nurses. With regard to future mobile surgeries the Authority are hoping
to have a special van for handicapped patients.
STAFF
18.6 In accordance with the Authority's recommendation the new post of Senior
Dental Officer was incorporated into the establishment: Mr. J.D. Anderson was appointed
from 1st July.
18.6.1 The difficulty of obtaining dental surgery assistants because of the extremely
low rate of renumeration and heavy extra load of clerical work was partly offset by the
creation of two new posts of clerical assistant/dental surgery assistant.
COURSES AND CONFERENCES
18.7 The following courses have been attended by dental officers during the year:
May, 1967 British Post Graduate Medical Federation
Course for Dental Cfficers on Modern
Trends
Nominee: Mr. Mailer
March, 1967 British Dental Association P.D.O.
Dental Treatment for Handicapped
Children held at Bristol
Nominee: Mr. Mailer
July, 1967 Annual Conference British Dental
Association
Nominee: Mr. Mailer
2nd November, 1967 Course for Clinical Periodontology
Nominee: Mr. Ahluwalia
STATISTICS
18.8 The number of children who were inspected at schools and clinics was 12,245.
Cf these 55.9 per cent, needed treatment, and 4,174 actually started courses of dental
treatment. Thirty permanent teeth were filled to each one extracted, and the ratio for
deciduous teeth was three filled to every one extracted. Nearly 100 children were
referred to orthodontic consultants for treatment.
SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE, 1968
19 Mr. G.P. Mailer, Principal School Dental Officer, reports as follows:-
19.1 The year 1968 saw the completion of the raising of the standard of equipment
to the le\el recommended by the Authority in 1966. All dental surgeries in Camden
were equipped with aspirators and x-ray apparatus and are thus of an up-to-date standard.
As new premises become available, the equipment will, of course, have to follow the
current trend for low-seated dentistry. The training schools teach this type of operational
working and accordingly, in order to encourage the recruitment of younger dentists,
it is essential that the Authority keep this thought before them.
19.2 During the year the Lithos Road clinic was closed. This was a very unfruitful
clinic, badly sited for the catchment area. The equipment was transferred to West
Hampstead School Treatment Centre, where a second surgery is being created by readapting
the very large waiting-room.
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