170
HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
in the main, makes the spectacles prescribed under the School Health Scheme; in addition, spectacles can be issued free or at greatly reduced cost to totally destitute ophthalmic patients who need them.
DENTAL SERVICE
The Government operates a General Dental Service and a School Dental Service. The former is responsible for the treatment of Government officers and their dependants, in-patients of Government hospitals, prisoners, and certain other categories of the poorer members of the population. The School Dental Service provides routine examination and treatment of participant children in Government sub- sidized, private and grant schools. The professional staff for these clinics varied between 16 and 19 full-time Dental Surgeons through the year.
Visits by patients to dental clinics totalled 73,287 and were divided between the various classes as follows
Government Officers
Government Officers' Dependants
General Public
School Children
15,318
14,017
17,603
26,349
In all, 22,494 permanent and 24,019 deciduous teeth were extracted, 17,732 permanent and 2,217 deciduous teeth were filled or crowned, and 969 dentures, bridges, and special prosthetic appliances were fitted in the General and School Dental Clinics.
One Dental Nurse returned in November from Penang where she had had 28 months training. Her duties within the School Dental Service consist of examinations, dental pro- phylaxis, routine conservative treatment, extractions where necessary, and dental health education.
Registration of dentists is compulsory in Hong Kong and since 1949 only academically qualified dentists have been accepted. At the end of the year there were 362 dentists