World Organisation Of Dentists Mooted

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31762, 20 August 1968, Page 14

World Organisation Of Dentists Mooted

The possibility of a combined “Anzalian” dental association acting as a catalyst for a world dental body was suggested by the Governor-General (Sir Arthur Porritt) when he officially opened the biennial conference of the New Zealand Dental Association in Christchurch last evening.

“Looking ahead, even into the next century, it does not seem too improbable that the focal dynamic point of the world’s commercial, industrial and cultural activities will have moved towards the Pacific Basin,” he said.

In a professional gathering such as this, with its venwelcome quota of Australian representatives, he saw a portent for the future. Was an “Anzalian” Dental Association. acting as a catalyst for a world dental association, unpractical? It certainly was not an impossibility. Sir Arthur Porritt said the comprehensive use of the vast professional know-how of the Commonwealth through the establishment of bodies with mutual understanding of common problems could—with the good will that seemed - automatically to permeat any group of professional people —produce a group of friendly nations, the like of which had not yet been seen in the world’s history. “New Zealand's record of dental health is an unenviable one.” the GovernorGeneral said. “But once the scourge of dental caries was recognised, the dental ser-i vices set up to deal with it, had achieved a deservedly, high reputation throughout | the dental world. This emanated from the establishment! of a school dental service in 1921."

The over-all result had been an almost phenomenal improvement in the dental health of the nation for which

it should be duly grateful and of which it might be duly proud. CLOSE LINKS Sir Arthur Porritt referred to the close links between medicine and dentistry, especially in plastic surgery. In both professions, the first year of undergraduate study was identical. Both used the same new therapeutic drugs and modern methods of anaesthesia; both had developed new techniques following modem advances in biochemistry, biophysics, electron microscopy and so on. “In the field of mechanical equipment, dental surgery has in many cases given the lead to general surgery, both in principle and in practice,” he said. “Scientific dental research too has advanced by leaps and bounds in the postwar years." The vice-president of the Australian Dental Association (Mr R. Y. Norton) spoke of the increasing understanding I among dentists in the Pacific area. At the Australian Dental Congress, he said, there had been representatives from Asia, including Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Australia and New Zealand had formed a basis of understanding which could be developed further, and he had represented both countries at i the Asian-Pacific Dental Congress in Seoul, Korea. Through dentistry, improved understanding among countries in this area could be achieved, and the bonds of friendship already established could be strengthened. Mr Norton said. The Minister of Health (Mr McKay) said the true benefits of the Social Security Dental

Benefits Scheme had been shown in a recent report on the dental health status of the New Zealand population in late adolescence and young adulthood.

This report had also mentioned the benefits of fluoridation in the improvement of children’s teeth. “During the last two years, six major communities have introduced fluoridation to another 185,000 people,” Mr McKay said. “Another three towns, with a total population of 20,000 have approved fluoridation in principle. “More than 60 per cent of the population now using reticulated water supplies in this country drink fluoridated water.

“In three areas that have used fluoridated water for some years, school dental nurses can now care for 700 patients each, against 450 before fluoridation.” The Minister said that at least 12 countries had been helped by New Zealand to develop services similar to this country’s dental health service for children. Next month dental health would be discussed at the Commonwealth Medical Conference in Uganda, and New Zealand would be taking a prominent part. Our scheme was bound to receive considerable attention.