NEW ZEALAND DENTAL CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8, 9 January 1908, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND DENTAL CONFERENCE.

The annual -meetings in connection t "with the New Zealand Dental Associa- ] -tion are being held in the Grammar School buildings, which have been lent to the Association for the purpose by ( the Governors. Dr. H. Cox, the presi- j dent for the year just concluded, oecu- ' pies the chair at the meetings, Mr. J. 3 N. Rishworth being the secretary, and • Mr. Bunby the treasurer. . lesterday the officers for the new year j were elected. It was decided that the , place of meeting for the next confer- , _nee should bo Wellington, and consequently the officers selected are Wellington dentists. Mr. A. Hoby, L.D.S.. was , appointed president with prolonged acclamation, on the nomination of Dr. '. Cox. Mr. Mantell was appointed vice- , president. The position of secretary was allotted Mr. W. R. Hursthouse, and it . was decided to ask Mr. Maurice Dennis- ' ton to accept the office of treasurer. A rommittee, set up on the motion of Mr G. Skene Dixon, of Hamil- ' ■ton. to inquire into the question of finding means to combat the spread of caries amongst children, presented its report. Mr. Dixon said that the spread of caries was alarming. He had 1 made considerable inquiry into the sub- 1 jeet. and he suggested that until some- ; thing was done by the State in the way , of regular inspection of the teeth, that the dentists of the Dominion might be able to do something to arrest the spread of the disease, which was responsible for most of the trouble with , children's teeth. In its report, this com- • mittee recommended that a committee , be set up to draw up a graded series of model lectures of oral hygiene suitable for children, and that each branch of • the. Association be asked to take such steps as they deemed best to obtain consent from the local authorities for the deliver}- of such lectures by members of the Association. The committee appointed were Dr. Low (Wellington), Mr. A. M. Carter (Auckland), Mr. G. Skene Dixon (Hamilton). They will draw up a- model series of lectures, which will be the skeleton forms upon which the lecturers will base their remarks to the children, and thus comparative uniformity will be insured throughout the Do- j minion. This is regarded as only a preliminary to the general inspection, which it is hoped the Government will adopt in a year or so for the systematic prevention of neglect of the teeth, and the establishment of dental hospitals, where those unable to pay for skilled attention ■will be able to get it as at the hospital in medical eases now. The Association has placed on record its appreciation of the cordial assistance given by the Educational Institute, of the Association's efforts to secure proper attention to the oral hygiene of school children. ENTEETALNTNG THE DELEGATES. A complimentary luncheon was tendered at the Pacific Club yesterday afternoon by the Hon. George Fowlds, Minister for Education and Public Health, to the delegates attending the annual conference of the New Zealand Dental Association. Between 40 and 50 delegates attended the dinner which, it is almost needless to add, was an excellent one. The Hon. G. Fowlds and Mr. W. J. Speight (President jf the Club), welcomed the guests as they arrived. Dr. Purdy. District Health Officer, was also present. The Hon. G. Fowlds occupied j the head of the table, the President of the Association. Dr. Cox, being seated on his right hand, and the Vice-Presi-dent, Mr. Carter, on his left, while Mr. W. J. Speight was vice-chairman. Shortly after 3 o'clock the Hon. G. Fowlds proposed the loyal toast, -which was duly honoured, and the National Anthem was i sung. Mr. Fowlds next proposed, "The New Zealand Dental Association." He said he had asked the delegates to the conference to that luncheon to mark, in a-slight way, his appreciation of the good work the Dental Association had done, and was destined still to do. He recognised that the Association had been very energetic and active during the few years of its existence, and had done a good deal to raise the status of the dental profession throughout the Dominion. At such a gathering it was only right to mention the name of Mr. Sidey. (Ap-1 platise.) He well deserved to be the only honorary member of the Association. No one outside the House could have any idea what it meant for a private member to bring in a bill, and to pilot it through successfully on the Statute Book. It was quite true that privileges had been granted to a number of men who were at present practising as dentists, but as the years passed by, the result of that measure must be to assure that only competent men were in the dental profession. He objected to forming close corporations, but where skill and technique were requisite, as in dentistry, surgery. or medicine, it was necessary to liave adequate provision that those who practised were fully qualified for the professions they adopted. (Applause.) Already the Dental Association had the credit of largely contributing to the foundation of a dental school, and had given £ 1000 towards the foundation of a chair of dentistry in the University College of Dunedin. which was an earnest of the desire of the members of the profession to provide proper training for the dentists of the future. That school was 3iow doing excellent work. He was also interested in the work of the Association in connection with the important subject of caring for the teeth of children attending the public schools. As for Education he would be very glad to see some method devised for the systematic examination of the teeth of the children, but that should be followed by proper treatment where such was needed. (Applause.) As many of the parents j could not afford to pay heavy fees coincident with the examination, there should be some system of free treatment afforded. The various branches of the Association had made very generous offers to the hospital and charitable aid | boards in different centres. He understood ihat the members of the Auckland branch were ready to undertake dentistry work at the hospital free of j charge if the Board would provide the ; proper facilities. How any board could I have hesitated to accept such an offer he could not understand. It was the duty of the hospitable and charitable slid board to provide free treatment for the sick who could not afford to pay, and be considered -iekness of the mouth -hould receive the same attention as in any other part of the body. He trusted that before long a start would be made in this matter in Auckland. The hospital building was perhaps too far away, but he hoped the Board would •.orange for some suitable building where d—niistry could be undertaken, in a more e_-t-T_l position. At the conference in last year he had spoken •-bout the importance of taking up the •wer-k ef special research to ascertain ■wiry ■__.£_. "veere so much diseased nowa-ta^see-jEefejrence

to that matter in the President's speech at the opening of the conference. In conclusion Mr. Fowlds expressed the hope that the visitors had enjoyed their trip to Auckland, and coupled with the toast, the names of Dr. H. Cox (president), and Mr. A. M. Carter (vice-president). Mr. Carter, on behalf of the Association, responded. He thanked the Hon. G. Fowlds for his hearty and outspoken remarks regarding the dental profession. The adoption of the term profession carried with it certain added responsibilities. The dentists had not banded together for mere personal aggrandisement, for they had the welfare of the whole community at heart. (Applause.) He claimed that a registered dentist should be able to draw teeth better than an unregistered one. Not because he was registered, but because to become registered as a dentist a man had to have certain knowledge of his profession. He was proud of what had already been done by the Association. They had got a dental school at ! Dunedin, had got the Dentists Bill pass- | cd. had offered to attend at the hospital for dentistry cases, as well as done other things to serve the community. Mr. J. A. Young proposed the toast of the health of their visitors. Mr. G. E. Payne Philpots, of Victoria, and Mr. Nicholson, of Queensland. Mr. Young said the Association had brought the dentists together in New Zealand, and also drawn these visitors from other States to the conference. He trusted the good work | would go on until the profession was j banded together throughout the whole j British dominions. Mr. Payne Philpots, in responding, ! said it was very gratifying to him to see I the courtesy shown by a Minister of the | Crown to the dentists of New Zealand. | As to a dental hospital for the poor, he ] could tell them that they started one j very humbly over a stable in Melbourne. I (Laughter.) Then they got a room ; over an underatker's. (Laugh- ! ter.) After that the hospital ; went to a three-storey building, and now I they bad in Spring-street a dental hos- ! pital in a building which cost £ 10,000, , and required another £2000 to furnish, j There was no reason why the dental hospital could not be started in Auckland, even without Government aid. Let 1 them start in a humble way as they had done in Melbourne, and in due course j lit would grow into a suitable institution. Dr. Cox next proposed the health of their host, the Hon. Geo. Fowids. (Applause.) He said the}- also owed a debt to the president of the Pacific Club for j his kindness iv allowing the gathering to be held there. He also wished to' thank Mi. Fowlds for his public recog- j nition of the dentists of New Zealand, in i entertaining the delegates to dinner. Mr. E. Cox (oldest member of the dental profession in Auckland), said he confirmed all the praise given to .Mr. Foivlds, for the interest he had mani- ! tested in the Dental Association. When j he came to Auckland 27 years ago, there were only five dentists practising. Now there were over fifty. He thanked Mr. 1 Fowlds for all he had done for the Association. Mr. Cox then went into the question of vaccination, and suggested ' that the Minister for Public Health 1 might do something in the direction of preserving the teeth of the children i which would remove the danger caused by the practice of injecting a diseased decomposed substance called lymph, but which he would designate as a brutal miasma, into the bodies of young infants. Mr. Fowlds, responding,, thanked them for the hearty manner in whicliy they had ' I drunk his health, and expressed the hope that they had all enjoyed their visit to Auckland.