[Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Oxfordshire County Council.

  • Oxfordshire (England). County Council. n 81006935.
Date:
1957
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Oxfordshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/64 (page 2)
    Child Guidance Service, the building up of a more comprehensive Service, to work more closely with the associated Health Services, should prove most valuable. The appointment of a second Speech Therapist in 1956 enabled a more comprehensive service to be set up for that type of handicap in 1957, while the accurate ascertainment of partial deafness will be made possible by the decision of the Committee to provide a pure-tone audiometer in the coming year. The existence of carious teeth in over 90% of school entrants and the steady progress of dental caries through all age groups of school children is undoubtedly the most serious problem in the School Health Service. At the present rate of deterioration, the position will be reached in the foreseeable future where most school leavers have dentures. The provision of more dentists and better treatment facilities would not solve the problem, but a very great contribution could be made by the application of water fluoridation schemes, which it is hoped the Ministry will soon recommend. This type of protection would reduce dental caries by at least 60%. The results of Pilot Schemes in this country are still awaited, although American experience with fluoridation is quite con¬ clusive. It is necessary for the greater success of such a measure that children, both antenatally and throughout their young lives, should have the appropriate intake: one part per million of fluoride in the drinking water is the most convenient method. The provision of a new mobile dental clinic was a very welcome addition to the clinic facilities for dentistry available in the County. Further provision of such units may well be found desirable following experience with such modern equipment. Statistical Tables, covering the activities of all parts of the Health and School Health Services are appended. P.W. BOTHWELL Acting County Medical Officer.