DENTAL SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 279, 22 August 1934, Page 11

DENTAL SERVICE

Steps to Bring About Control < ASSOCIATION’S AIM Research Work and Care of Poor Children Dominion Special Service. Auckland, August 21. “The dental profession throughout its life in New Zealand has received remarkably little encouragement from the Parliaments of this country. Admittedly, the Government of the day did a service to the conununity and to the profession when it established the Dental School, but since then Parliament has only too often failed to realise its obligations towards the profession,” said Mr. K. C. Morpeth, president of the New Zealand Dental Association, at the opening of the association’s annual conference at Auckland to-day. "For some totally undefined reason the dental profession has been label led as a ‘close corporation,’ and certain members of the House of Itepresenta fives have consistently made use of this misnomer to the detriment of the praiseworthy efforts of the New Zealand Dental Association in its Parliamentary activities. The dentists of New Zealand—both members and nonmembers of the New Zealand Dental Association—are, at the present time, working for the establishment of a council, the functions of which would bo to bring about efficient control of the affairs of the profession and of its members. “The allied professions and other organisations in New Zealand already have their governing councils, and the dental profession in many other parts of tho world is similarly privileged, so surely it is only reasonable that our profession should seek parliamentary ■ sanction along the same lines. The professions of law, medicine, accountancy, surveying and engineering, have all been given this privilege, so wby not the dental profession also?” Money for Research. A question that has been exercising the minds of a number of the thinking members of the profession was that of research work, the president continued. The Government for years provided an annual grant of money in its Estimates for research work in medical science. This grant, however, had in recent years been gradually whittled down till it had almost reached vanishing point. Mr. Morpeth suggested that the New Zealand Dental Association should donate an annual sum of mbney from its funds to found a research scholarship. Such a scholarship cpuld be granted to either a practitioner or., a graduate, perhaps some some time to one and some time the other. The sum of £2OOO would provide an annual income of £lOO, which could be allowed to accumulate, if necessary. He believed that the Government would subsidise it. “A problem that the members of the dental profession will have to grapple with in the near future,” Mr. Morpeth added, “is that of the care of the teeth of the children of those unable to pay the usual fees for such services. In their own quiet way, of course, most dentists in New Zealand do a fair amount in this direction in their daily practice, but the problem is deeper than this and calls for some concerted action. Weakness of State Service. “It may be said that the State Dental Service solves this question, but I contend that it does not, and for this reason: It is a fact that the children of many indigent people are placed on the waiting list for six, nine and 12 months before they can have their teeth at- , tended to, partly because, and here is the weakness of the system, the children attending secondary schools, the children of well-to-do people, highlyplaced civil servants, professional men, and more or less wealthy business people, attend the State Dental Service. “I frankly acknowledge that this is not tho fault of the ofiicers of the service—l know they are quite alive to , the position, but are unfortunately unable to refuse to attend to the children of the people I refer to. I contend, however, that the Government should, legislate to prevent this injustice to the necessitous classes and I cannot understand why some of the so-called, or perhaps I should say, self-styled, humanitarians in Parliament do not take steps to remedy this improper etate of affairs.”