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a pre-school exam for their child is available at their local centres,
so that all aspects of their child's development can be checked, viz.
sight, hearing, speech and eye/hand co-ordination as well as a physical
examination.
Infectious Diseases and Immunisation
At the pre-school medical examination arrangements were made for
children to receive booster doses of diphtheria, tetanus and polio vaccine.
Second year secondary school girls and boys are Mantoux tested and in 1972
2,381 were given B.C. G. 164 third year secondary school girls received
Rubella vaccination after preparatory talks had been given in the schools
by teaching or health department staff. The number is small as many girls
of the age group concerned were vaccinated ahead of schedule in the Autumn
of 1971.
In accordance with a recommendation by the Department of Health and
Social Security, the offering of booster doses of tetanus toxoid and polio
vaccine (oral) to students of 15-19 years was commenced at the end of the
year. It is proposed that such immunisation sessions will be held as a
routine in future.
Ringworm
Six notifications of scalp ringworm were received from hospitals, and
classroom contacts were examined by school nurses.
SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE
Introduction
Accounts of Dentistry for the Mentally Handicapped, Pre-School Children,
and Expectant and Nursing Mothers will be found elsewhere in the Report.
Pour of our twenty Dental Surgery Assistants are seconded to Executive
Council surgeries. In addition, one is a Special Orthodontic D. S. A. and
two are Senior D. S. As. The latter oversee all dental matters at the two
largest dental clinics and one is also responsible for training of new
D. S. As. and those studying for their National Certificate. Five D. S. As.
are studying for their National Certificate and two were successful in the
May examination. In addition to attending evening classes, they are given
weekly tutorials prior to the examination.
This year has seen avast increase in through-put and out-put, achieved
partly hy the institution of a close system of management of the Dental
Services, and partly by a vast increase in effort by the dental staff.
School Dental Inspections
Children at all schools were inspected. Nearly 70 per cent of those
seen found to need some form of dental care.
Treatment
10,918 children attended on 37, 932 occasions to receive 35,281 fillings,
an increase of 32 per cent over 1971. They also had 4,035 teeth extracted.
53 per cent of the children were aged 5 to 9 years.