DENTAL CLINICS.

Evening Star, Issue 19522, 1 April 1927, Page 4

DENTAL CLINICS.

The position of dentistry in New Zealand calls for .comment. Mr T. A. Hunter’s school dental nurses’ scheme forms an important service in this country. Outside criticism should therefore bo valuable. The ‘ British Dental Journal ’ reports an address given by Mr Hunter in London, explaining “ the New Zealand Government scheme,” at the annual meeting of the British Dental Hospital. His remarks included tho following The work of tho nurses was limited to the treatment and filling of deciduous teeth, fillings in permanent teeth where the pulp Is not involved, extraction of deciduous teeth and first permanent molars. Their training was such that after leaving tho training school continuous personal supervision by a qualified dentist was unnecessary. . . . These women

wero officers of the Health Department, and were specially trained by that department solely for Government school dental work.” This had necessitated a clause in the Dentists Amendment Act, 1921-22, permitting “ the performance in any public dental service of dental work by any person in accordance with conditions approved by the Minister.” i'be clause hands over to the Minister of Health for the time being the deciding of the limits of education and training necessary and the limitations of work to be undertaken. Now we append tho criticisms. Tho chairman, Sir Henry Baldwin, C.V.0., said: “The British Dental Hospital had treated about 20,00 i. cases. There were attached to it between forty and fifty dental surgeons and about fourteen qualified anesthetists. . . . With regard to dental nurses, it was a question rather of dental politics whether partially-trained people should bo allowed to touch a tooth.” Mr T. L, Winn said that it seemed to him that in any branch of dental work the higher the qualification the better the people would benefit eventually. Mr R. Lindsay (dental secretary, British Dental Association) stated that “ those who had discussed the matter knew what was done in New Zealand, where the dental nurses did a fair amount of dental surgery. Moreover, the school dental service was becoming a specialised department of the profession, taken up seriously as a life work by many young qualified men and women, and was looked upon by all thoughtful and well-informed persons as one of the most important branches of public dental service. That was why they looked with suspicion upon the introduction of partially-trained persons into the school dental service in Ibis country.” Mr R. G. H. Warner held the view that what Mr Hunter had indicated was “specialism run riot,” and said he could not forget the child was fast becoming an adult, The late Charles .Edward Wallis, L.D.S., M. C.S. 'Eng.), L.R.C.P.. (London), whose death occurred on January 4 of this year, was recently president of tho dental officers’ group of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, and was for years actively associated with that body’s forerunner, the School Dentists’ Society. From his interesting article on ‘My Recent Visit to the International Dental Congress at Philadelphia, and also the Rochester and Forsyth Children’s Dental Dispensaries,’’ we quote: “ The dental hygienists are trained to teach dental hygiene, to thoroughly clean the children’s teeth, end teach them how to keep them clean. In short, the community dental health problem as visualised in the States calls for the co-ordination of two dental services—(l) The work of preventive dentistry as carried out by the dental hygienists; (2) tho reparative work done by the dentists. . . . 1 am not sure that even onr Board of Education realises that healthy gums are just as important to a child's health as teeth that are free from caries.” The result is that in New Zealand, where, according to Air Hunter, “the dental nurse receives far more training than any student could obtain in that special branch of the work,” she is called upon without supervision to do what she, with her intensive training, thinks best for the growth and development of our children. Under direction a well-trained nurse is as indispensable in dentistry as she is in medicine. We make these young women the anaesthetists, even if confined to local anesthesia, the arbiters between extraction and filling, as well as the diagnosticians of mouth Icrcr.s. Cun this New Zealand Government scheme be right?