CARE OF TEETH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 153, 30 June 1945, Page 6

CARE OF TEETH

FREE DENTAL PLAN

SCHOOL TO MANHOOD

Parliamentary Reporter.

WELLINGTON, this day.

An outline of the Government's proposed free dental ' service for adolescents up to the 19th year, which is to be a benefit under the Social Security Act, was given to-day by the Minister of Health, Mr. Nordmeyer. The scheme would not actually begin until certain details had been completed, he said. An announcement of the commencing date would be made later.

The Minister said the inauguration pf a dental service for adolescents had been under consideration for some time, and had been the subject of discussion and negotiation between the Department of Health and a special committee of the New Zealand Dental Association. Main prin_ciples had now been agreed upon, and among other things they provided for the staffing of the adolescent service with full-time salaried dental officers. Pending the development of' this full-time salaried service, however, the dental profession would be invited to operate a service for adolescents on a free-for-service basis.

"Broadly speaking, the persons eligible far this service are Subject to certain qualifications, those between pre-school age and 19 years of age," explained the Minister. "In the main, eligibility for dental treatment as an adolescent Will be contingent upon a person having undergone regular dental treatment up to the time of application for enrolment either at a school dental clinic or at the hands of a private dental practitioner. Adolescent treatment will be in effect a continuation of primary and intermediate school treatment, and dental supervision will be continued at six-monthly intervals from the time of leaving primary school until the patient has reached his or her 19th birthday."

The Minister added that provision was also made for enrolment of any person under 19 years of age who, through special circumstances beyond his control, could not reasonably have been expected to have had his dental and oral health satisfactorily maintained. "The aim of the service," concluded the Minister, "is to ensure continuity of regular dental care, and treatment will be essentially of a nature designed to conserve the natural teeth. On enrolment procedure will be that the dentist will call up the patient at sixmonthly intervals for re-examination and necessary treatment. State clinics will be the normal means of providing treatment when staffed by salaried personnel, but where there is no State clinic available it is intended that there will be freedom of choice as between patient and dentist."