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48
DENTAL INSPECTIONS
82.3% of the school children in the Borough were given a dental examination
either at the school or at a clinic. This figure is quite high and would have
been even better but for the fact that we could not complete our programme of
school inspections because of lack of chairside assistants. Of those examined,
the figure of approximately 70% of children needing treatment, has remained
fairly constant over the past few years. Over half of the parents replying to
an offer of dental care have asked for their children to receive it from the
school dental service. One would like to have felt that the rest were going to
private practitioners as indicated, but this is in fact very doubtful in a very
large number of cases.
TREATMENT
9,058 children attended on 30,720 occasions to receive 27,345 fillings
and to have 3,421 teeth extracted. Thus 661 additional children attended to
have 4,000 more fillings and 99 teeth less extracted than in 1968. This is
very pleasing indeed especially as it takes far more time to fill teeth than
to remove them.

The dental officers are thus succeeding in saving more deciduous teeth for
the youngest children. Much of the increase in the older children is due to
extractions for orthodontic reasons, which are required to make room prior to
straightening of the remaining teeth.
There was again a reduction of 150 individual general anaesthetics and 18.6
general anaesthetic sessions. However one should be mindful of the fact that
the number of emergency visits is slowly creeping up.
The ratio of teeth filled to teeth extracted was 16.25 to 1 for permanent
teeth and 3.65 to 1 for deciduous ones, against 14.4 and 3.3 respectively in
1968. The National Averages are 6:1 and 1:0.8; i.e. more deciduous teeth extracted
than filled. This is a vast improvement on an already excellent record
showing the benefits to be gained from modern techniques. If those teeth which
were removed for orthodontic reasons are eliminated, the ratios rise to 24.3
to 1 for permanent teeth and 4.1 to 1 for deciduous teeth.
The number of crowns made for children has nearly doubled but the number
of inlays fitted is virtually the same as in 1968. There is scope for a large
expansion in provision of these advanced techniques, as well as for many more
dentures and root fillings. However, most of the dentists are so inundated
with routine dentistry that they cannot devote time to such work without detriment
to the rest of the treatment which they provide. There is thus a very
strong case for appointing someone with experience of advanced dental techniques
as a second Senior Dental Officer.
Efforts to decrease oral disease have intensified. Many children are
brought to the clinic simply to have their teeth polished, even though no
fillings are needed. This is an attempt to lessen the amount of gum diseases,