[Report 1934] / School Medical Officer of Health, Essex County Council.

  • Essex (England). County Council.
Date:
1934
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1934] / School Medical Officer of Health, Essex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/56 (page 18)
    has not received the full attention it demands. In accordance with the sugf^estions contained in the Ministry of Health Circular 1337a, issued in May, 1933, the Com- mittee have given careful consideration to the early diagnosis of ear defects and to the necessary treatment with a view to the ])revention of deafne.ss. A preliminary survey carried out in the Chingford and Hornchurch areas has shown that there is amj)le need for increased facilities in this connection. .-Vs a result, an effort has now been made to grapple with this wides])read condition and, during 1935, it is hoped that, with the arrangements available, better results will be shown in the treatment of children before and during school attendance. There can be no doubt that, in order to achieve this, early and regular treatment is e.s.sential, and to tacilitate this, all School Medical Inspectors, Child Welfare Officers and School Nurses have been asked to bring forward such cases as come to their notice for early treatment. For those who retpiire specialist’s advice, arrangements have been made for the services of Mr. Hamblen Thomas, F.R.C.S., to be available as occasion requires!^ (li) Dental Treatment. The policy of the Committee in gradually buildiu up a full-time Dental Staff has been continued, and in October the Staff was increased by one Dental Surgeon to five full-time Dental Surgeons. Further provision has been made to augment the Staff by the appointment of two more during the year 1935. By this gradual and steady augmentation, the School Dental Service has and will continue to provide a better, more continuous and more efficient service for the school population. A further advance in the work has been the decision of the Committee to pro\ ide dental inspections and treatment for secondary school children as aud wh< n the augmentation of staff allows. This provision would ap])ear to be a necessity as many of the pupils in the Secondary Schools have already come under the survey of the School Dental Surgeons in the Elementary Schools, prior to attendance at Secondary Schools. It is an agreed policy in dental treatment of school children that inspections of those treated should be regxdarly followed up year by year, in order that once the mouth of a child is dentally clean, an endeavour should be made to keep it so at any rate during school life and with the added hope that, having once in.stilled into the child the necessity aud advantages of having sound, well cared for teeth, he or she may in after school life follow this procedure for the benefit ot themselves aiul their general health. The general scheme for ilental inspections and treatment is similar to that for the year 1933. The policy of refusal of treatment to tho.se children who in the pa.st have not accejxtcd the facilities offered, which is axlopted by certain Education Author- ities, is worthy of careful consideration, especially as it is reported in .some areas that by its adoption the percentages of accejxtances have increased. It will he