Ji—3l.

School Dental Service : Summary of Activities during Past Year. The statistical section of this report shows that steady progress lias been made during the period under review. The total number of operations shows an increase over the previous year—namely, 826,598, as against 759,873 for 1937-38. The number of patients under treatment at the end of 1938 was 94,261, as against 89,483 in 1937. , . . New school dental clinics were established during the year at twenty-two centres—viz., Aniseed ; Beresford Street Auckland ; Cornwall Park, Auckland ; Howick ; Kaponga ; Katikati; Kawakawa ; Mercury Bay • Mornington, Dunedin ; Oaro ; Ohura : Okato ; Opunake ; Phillipstown, Chnstchurch ; Rawene; Talma ; Tahuna ; Takapuna ; Te Karaka ; Tuakau ; Tokaanu ; _ and Whangamomona. In addition to these new centres, the following eleven existing centres were reinforced : Beckenham ; Dannevirke; Ellerslie ; Linwood ; Napier; Rotorua ; Tauranga -Te Puke ; Thames; Warkworth Wellsford • Westland ; and Whangarei. In the case of Warkworth-Wellsford and Tauranga -1 e Puke, the additional staff was appointed to Wellsford and Te Puke respectively, thus giving these former sub-bases the status of main-treatment centres. Forty-nine new clinics have been authorized at centres which were not served before, and thirteen existing centres are to be reorganized in the immediate future, and their scope extended, by the appointment of additional staff. Details of these are given in another section of this report In order to facilitate the control of the rapidly increasing number of clinics the dental districts have been reorganized, and a new one created, with headquarters at Hamilton. This district (the South Auckland Dental District) includes the South Auckland, Bast Cape, and Taranaki Health Districts. The former Auckland and Wellington Dental Districts have been reduced accordingly. Statistics. Operations performed in the field and in the training-school from Ist January to 31st December, 1938 :— Fillings— In permanent teeth .. •• •• •• •• In decidous teeth .. •• •• ..308,653 Extractions — In permanent teeth .. •• •• •• ,' I? In deciduous teeth .. .. • • • • " ' 8 67 972 Other operations •• •• •• •• 187,427 Total operations .. • ■ • ■ • • • ■ • • g2g B9g The following figures illustrate the progress made during the last nine years : .

Total number of operations since the inception of the service, 7,550,819. Ratio of Extractions to Fillings. The number of teeth extracted as unsaveable as compared with the number of fillings performed shows a further decrease. The figure for the year under review is 11-9 extractions per 100 fillings. The steady decrease since the inception of the service is shown in the following table J Ratio: Extractions Fillings. Extractions. per Hundred killings. iQoioo .. .. 13,047 14,939 114-5 ■' " .. .. 24,603 25,436 103-3 liiil " " .. .. 47,610 37,978 79-7 " .. ..59,322 43,181 72-6 " :: .. .. 61,506 41,339 67-2 109*07 ' .. .. 84,723 53,232 62-8 ,1 " .. 116,916 66,523 56-8 IQ9R 9Q " ■ •• 146,354 76,555 52-3 JaSio " " •• 190,934 71,128 37-2 iQonJi " ' . 258,546 75,973 25-5 {nolloo ' ... 334,827 80,389 24-0 1009 oo " . .. 382,289 74,633 19-5 }fjtZ " " .. .. 397,437 69,208 17-4 00435 " ;; .. .. 399,560 70,207 17-5 iql o fi " .. .. 450,727 72,782 16-1 Infi; •• ' . .. 498,121 72,088 14-6 1007 OR " " .. .. 535,441 68,832 12-9 1938139 •• 571,199 67,972 11-9 The above figures include both permanent and deciduous teeth. For permanent teeth alone the ratio is 0-8 extractions per 100 fillings.

94

Number of Schools Number of Children | Total Number of Year. ! under Systematic 1 receiving Systematic j Operatiflns. Treatment. Treatment. 1Q on .. 930 67,652 463,204 .. 1,118 68,995 562,759 }qoJ .. 1,297 72,584 619,390 }qoo .. 1,430 78,391 623,625 \ltl ■' " " .. 1,551 83,433 626,878 }x« . 1,590 84,738 674,374 laofi " " " 1,629 89,803 725,069 ■ " :: 1,568 89,483 759,873 .. 1,620 94,261 826,598