DENTISTRY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 62, 10 September 1910, Page 5

DENTISTRY.

THE QUESTION OF EXAMINATION. REPRESENTATIONS TO THE PREMIER. A deputation representing the Dental Association of New Zealand, introduced by Mr. Sidey, M.P., waited on Sir Joseph Ward and the Minister for Public Health (Hon. D. Buddo) this morning to urge that nothing should be done to go back on the great advance on legislation in the interests of dentistry secured by the passing of the legislation of five years ago. The few cases in which the Act had been complained of were, Mr. Sidey contended, cases in which persons had not understood its provisions. Dr. Paterson (Christchurch), President of the New Zealand Dental Association, remarked that 90 per cent, of the people of New Zealand were suffering from dental disorders, and to let in unqualified men, as was now proposed, would be doing an injustice to tho people of New Zealand. Dr. Cahill, a member of the late Dental Board of Examiners at Wellington, said any such action would be grossly unfair to and practically a fraud on the public. Several other members of the board agreed that any such action would be unfair, first, to the members of the profession who have passed the examination; secondly, to those students who are endeavouring to qualify at the Dental School in Dunedin, and thirdly to the public. Sir Joseph Ward said the views of the deputation would be carefully considered by the Government. He quite appreciated the fact that the public must be considered first of all, and next to prevent unqualified men practising in the Dominion. The interests of the students ought also to be protected. He recognised that the dentists of New Zealand had done a tremendous 1 amount of gratuitous work for the poor, as had the members of thg medical profession. He thought that no one should be allowed to obtain a certificate by a short cut, but he had heard of four cases in which men who were fully qualified had been refused admission to the register merely because they had not applied in the period specified by the Act. A good deal of pressure was being brought to bear on the authorities to allow of the admission of those persons, but the deputation could rely that there would be no general infringement of the principle of the Act. Later on Mr. E. H. Clark introduced a deputation of one from Dunedin, who explained that after having been apprenticed h,e found he could not get on the register without going through the Dental School. At that time the school had not been started, and later on he was refused permission to sit for a qualifying examination unless he passed the medical preliminary examination and served another four years. Sir Joseph Ward said in reply that he would go carefully into the matter. The Government could not legislate to provide a short cut "to a certificate ; what they wanted to see was that qualified people should not be kept off the register because of an oversight, but it was not possible to be continuously reopening the Art.