THE DENTAL NURSES

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 89, 15 April 1921, Page 8

THE DENTAL NURSES

THIBTY-FIVE IN TRAINING

VISIT BY THE MINISTER,

The scheme under -which, dental nurses are to be trained to give the necessary attention to the teeth of < school children has been definitely launched and the training of the first batch of 35 women has been commenced. Part of the ground floor of the Base Records building, in Whitmore-street, has been allocated for the use of the State School Dental Service, while Dr. Truby King (Director of Child Welfare) and other Government officers who have to deal with matters affecting the children of the" country will be given accommodation close by, so that they may work in with one another with more ease.

When applications were invited from those who wished 'to enter the State Dental Service 120 women applied. The most promising of this number have been selected., and the preliminary training was started' this month under Mr. Dunn. The early part of the training is regarded as particularly important, and the nurses will be given a thorough foundation on which to build their future success. Chemistry and' anatomy as applied to dentistry are at present occupying the attention of the class, and not a little part of the early training will be for the purpose of securing manual dexterity. Incidentally, on the assumption that prevention is better than cure, each nurse will be made a propagandist for dental hygiene. , The room to be used as the main clinic appears excellently adapted for its purpose—it is brightly lighted, sunny,' and well ventilated, and provides ample accommodation. At present it is not fitted up, but all the material is ready for use when required. Practically everything needed is being secured from the Defence Department, which still has the chairs, instruments,'etc., used by: the Dental Corps during the war. The service, therefore, will not be an expensive one—a very important matter in these days of financial stringency. A brief visit U> the premises was made by the Minister of Education (the Hon. C. J. Parr); the ' falter of the scheme, yesterday. Mr. Parr inspected the work already' done, and then went into the class-room and addressed the probationers. He said those before him were starting on one of the most important works ever undertaken in New Zealand. The Dominion was" the pioneer as far as the setting up of a State Dental Service for the schools was concerned, and on the women in training rested a great responsibility. The scheme had not been undertaken hurriedly or without taking- counsel with those qualified to give an opinion, and he trusted that the work of the nurses in tho: future would be such as to justify the decision of tho Minister to adopt it. But of far more importance than the justification of the Minister was the benefit which the nurses, after their training, would be able to give to the children of the country. It had been shown that four out of. every five children in New Zealand required dental treatment, and the nurses would bo privileged to take part in the task of eradicating this great evil. It would be a big task, but he looked forward to the time when the service would have 200 trained nurses at work. There was hard work before them, but he was confident it would be done, and done well.