View report page

273
Inspection.
During the year 98 sessions were devoted to inspection, and
18,684 children were inspected, i.e., 190 children each session.
Out of 18,684 children inspected, 13,480 were referred for treatment,
i.e., 72 per cent., the same as in the previous year. lit is a
matter of great concern that only one in four has a healthy
dentition.
Unfortunately, the 28 per cent, of children with sound dentitions
cannot be viewed with the same prognosis as in the case of
medical examinations. These are always potential patients for
the dental surgeons, as the commencement of dental caries
is so insidious that these children might require treatment at any
time. The number referred for treatment varies in different
schools. In some cases the number of healthy dentitions is as
high as 43 per cent., and in others as low as 8 per cent. The
schools showing a low incidence of disease are those in which
children have had private and clinic treatment. These results
show that if treatment is carried out in conjunction with proper
oral hygiene on the part of the children, dental disease can be
considerably reduced; on the other hand, where there is neglect
of these precautions the incidence of disease is high. A child
who has clean teeth and a good diet that requires thorough mastication
to exercise the jaws and teeth will have a greater resistance
to dental disease than a child who has not these advantages. This
is proved at the inspection of children in the Public Assistance
Committtee's Homes, whose diet is very varied and of a detergent
nature; 61 per cent, of these children had perfectly healthy
dentitions.
The incidence of dental disease arises in three distinct phases
in a child's life, namely, at 5, 9 and 13 years of age.
The reason for the high percentage of disease in the five-yearold
group is that the parents have not taken advantage of the
facilities for treatment of the pre-school child, and have not realised
the importance of a healthy temporary dentition. The six, seven
and eight-year-old groups show a decline in disease. In the nineyear-old
group dental caries again increases. This is porbablv
accounted for by the fact that in the period between five and nine
years of age the incidence of infectious diseases and various other
childhood complaints is at a maximum. At 13 years of age there
appears another advance of detail disease. This is, perhaps, due to
complete eruption of all the teeth (excepting the third molars).
with more teeth in the mouth there are more tooth surfaces
liable to decay. The graph further shows that with thorough
treatment and more concentration in rendering the Leavers group
thy the amount of disease once again declines. To reduce