DENTAL EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 25882, 28 August 1946, Page 8

DENTAL EDUCATION

GREAT PROGRESS MADE NEED FOR FURTHER EFFORTS Rapid strides had been made in New Zealand in the last few years to bring health information before the public, and dental health formed not an insignificant part of this information, said Mr E. Brebner, Principal Dental Officer of Health Education,; in his address to the conference of the New Zealand Dental Association this after; noon. - ;

“ Education of the public is a good thing, and that there is a great need for it is now generally accepted,” continued Mr Brebner.’ “ The main groups who are, in view of the particular nature or their life work,, best qualified and entitled to educate the New Zealand public in the principles of dental health are the Department of Health, the dental’profession, and allied workers, chiefly, ..comprising the medical and nursing professions. “Child education 1 is conducted mainlv through the medium of school dental nurses, who receive special tuition in dental 'health while undertaking their two-year course of training in Wellington. A course of 30 lectures on dental health education is attended at the l Dominion' Training School, and this is strengthened by their attendance at the Wellington Teachers’ Training follege of a Course of theoretical and practical lectures on teaching method and appreciation! The latter course is followed up by a practical applied course in the primary schools, where each student nurse takes the : class or classes herself on dental health for . several . periods. When the- school Mental nurse goes intd the field she is required to complete a minimum number of dental health education “ units ” per month, and this system ensures that the nurse regards her educational duties as part and parcel of the day’s work,” said Mr Brebner.

HIGH-PRESSURE SALESMANSHIP

“ It is*unfortunate, but quite true, that the dental surgeon lives on the results of dental decay. We could, in fact, say that he has a vested interest in the disease. How easy, then, 'it must be to accept matters as they are and; in the rush of urgent curativ? and restorative work, forget the oncecherished preventive principles < with which be was inculcated when, at His Alma Mater,” said Mr Brebner. • “ Again, let me point out, and I can vouch for this from personal experience, the practice of dental health education involves the use of a certain amount of showmanship. We dealt with the spectacular, the use of the prettilydressed plaster models, the brightlycoloured pamphet, and with perhaps a whiff of the: 1 spiel ’ of the professional barker in our use of the radio and the newspaper.. But it is a case of using high-pressure methods of advertising, because we are forced to do so by highpressure methods on the. part of the manufacturing companies. 1 am here referring -to those who peddle goods not for the. sake of a -suffering humanity (although they try to beguile the public into thinking so), but because of the profit to be. gained from booming sales. There are- doubtless some members of the dental: profession who would consider i that taking time off in their surgery .to sell dental health education savours of selling themselves to their patients, that it is not ethical —that it is merely a vain parade of knowledge—and is unprofitable financially into the bargain. Let us hope that. such an, attitude does not predominate. "It must.'surely. be compatible with the. dignity of the profession and the observance of . professional ethics to further, preventive work.- :•» “It is,.not hard to: visualise that:the practitioner of the. future will not ,consider his. rooms properly equipped u nless he has a showcase for displaying dental models, a’ . chart. cabinet for dental

health charts, and even a film .strip projector by which he may demonstrate X-ray films, and by which, he, may quickly and clearly answer his patient’s inquiries. .With the intensive 'drive which will certainly and surely .be made in- the years to come: to 'educate the young child first at. the pre-school stage, then through the primary and the high school stages, a type of patient will present-himself -who. will indeed expect the Mental surgeon to . carry on the . educative ; job. and who, will be prepared- to pay for such advice. ' EDUCATIVE ASPECTS.

“ To-day. a person attends a : medical practitioner for ; consultation; for which, he pays a fee. There may .not, be an examination, but only a recital of questions and answers. The patient goes .away satisfied. Is the dental surgeon in a similar position? The answer, I think, in most cases is 1 No.' At present few people will visit, the denthl surgeon knowing that, in addition to paying for actual technical services rendered, he will. be. required .to pay a consultation fee as well. The remedy wpuld: seem to be in the hands of the profession itself. I stress this point because I cannot see the. future dentals surgeon- engaging in the givingof advice . relating to ’ the patient’s dental condition and in. teaching preventive .principles -as : well -unless he allots definite - appointments to ■ the purely’ consultative and educative aspects of practice. and . receives adequate remuneration for so doing, This latter .is important. There is little doubt that it is the loss- financially from ' whjch practitioners would suffer in. spending time on this work which would deter many from practising it: “It has been said, and. there is more than a grain of-truth in this, that ' it . is the very existence of-.- an efficient dental profession that has caused such'a comparative .lack' of interest in. the prevention of. dental disease. This seems a paradox, but let us examine the facts. No one regards an artificial eye or limb as a good substitute for the real'thing, but we have carious teeth filled so adroitly and deftly to-day that the patient; has come .to regard fillings not as a . disability at all. Even extraction of the teeth is looked upon with -equanimity. Once, in the primitive types, -loss of teeth meant loss of function; with consequent great, even: calamitous, disability, 'Now even the owner of a loose lower denture gets a refit which will see him adequately through the task of eating. So much so that he is often unaware of the shortcomings of artificial dentures,” -said Mr Brebner.