[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.

    22/56 (page 20)
    Mr. Hendry (Tendring, Lexden, etc.) Every endeavour lias been made to maintain the standard of dental service provided ; there was at first some difficulty experienced iu apportioning the available time to the different districts, but this has been in a large measure overcome. Indifference, even amounting to antagonism in a number of cases on the part of parents whose children really need treatment, has been widely encountered. This is a very disturbing faetor and one which militates against the smooth running of the service. However, this obstacle will in time be surmounted by propaganda. Talks have been given wherever possible to parents and children on dental hygiene and its relation to general health. He remarks on the valuable help that may be obtained through the Dental Board of the United Kingdom, and suggests that this added help in propaganda might well be incorporated in the County Scheme. Miss Whitmore (Woodford, Chingford, etc.) Fillings were well accepted in areas where the child had not far to come to the clinic, but in other areas the parent accepted quite well, only if it was a question of extractions alone or extractions, plus fillings. The schools are now inspected about once in every fifteen months. It seems hardly fair to refuse treatment to childien because of the ignorance of their parents, but, on the other hand, it is felt that some- thing should be done to lessen the number of casuals who take up the time which is needed for children whose parents accept regularly and who should be inspected at least every 12 mouths. Table IV, Group V, summarises the dental work during the year. It .shows that 2,083 half-day sessions were utilised, an increase of 482 on the previous year. Of these sessions, 312 were devoted to inspections and 1,771 to treatment, an increase of 71 inspections and 411 treatment sessions respectively on the previous year. 41,120 children were inspected and 28,853 found to require treatment, or 70.1 per cent., a high percentage. The children who actually received treatment numbered 17,043, an increase of 831 on the numbers for 1933 and of these, 20,880 attendances were made, an increase of 2,634 attendances. Nitrous oxide or other general ana'sthetic was required in 10,022 cases. The return of the actual work carried out shows that 34,373 teeth were extracted, including 28,300 temporary teeth and 6,064 permanent teeth and 0,804 fillings were completed, 1,689 for temporary teeth and 8,115 for permanent teeth. Whilst one realises that the work on the tem])orary teeth is of im])ortance both from the point of view of the health of the individual concerned and also for preser- vation of the permanent set which follow, nevertheless, we must mainly base our opinions on the value of the work done by consideration of what has been ilone for