DENTAL CLINICS
306. The Dental Sub-Department is responsible for the provision of dental treatment under 2 heads:
A. General Dental Service.
(i) Government servants and pensioners.
(ii) Families of Government servants and pensioners. (iii) General public poor persons.
(iv) Referred in-patients of government hospitals
including Mental Hospital.
(v) Prisoners.
B. School Health Service.
(i) Government and Government aided schools.
(ii) Private schools.
307. In all, eight full time dental clinics and one dental laboratory were operated during the year under review,
308. Full dental treatment for government servants and their families was available at Sai Ying Pun Hospital after a waiting period which varied from 2 to 6 months at different times of the year. The high standard of treatment carried out was maintained, but with the staff and facilities available it was impossible to eliminate the waiting list of government servants and families requesting full treatment. Emergency treatment was always immediately available.
309. For the emergency treatment of poor persons, four regular clinic sessions were operated each week-two at Sai Ying Pun Hospital and two at Kowloon Hospital. In addition, a monthly clinic at Cheung Chau Hospital was maintained, and
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regular fortnightly clinics for prisoners at Victoria Remand and Stanley Prisons were continued. Nearly 12,000 treatments were performed on these classes of patients during the year 1951.
410. With regard to dental treatment in the School Health Service, a substantial year's work has been carried out. Unfortunately, the statistical summary reveals the heavy weighting on the side of extractions as against Allings. In the case of government and government aided schools, this has been so because the facilities available for the treatment of their pupils have been so limited that for the most part only children specially referred by the school medical officers because of pain or gross dental caries could be treated. Nevertheless, more than 2,000 fillings were inserted which must be reckoned as a good year's work considering the enormous volume of emergency work additionally necessary. In the case of private schools, treatment consisted mostly of extractions because the patients were participating in a new scheme, and were mostly receiving dental treatment for the first time. Necessary extractions were carried out for all participants in the scheme before attention could be given to conservative treatment.
411. The Hong Kong Dental Society has continued to supply dental clinics for the treatment of poor persons, especially children. This most laudable effort on the part of the dental surgeons of the Colony (who include government dental surgeons and dental officers of Her Majesty's Armed Forces, as well as private practitioners) has been a most valuable addition to Government's arrangements for providing dental treatment for the poor.
Dental materials for these clinics and for the dentists working with the St. John Ambulance Brigade Penetration Parties visiting outlying districts of the New Territories have been supplied from government stocks without charge.
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