CARE OF CHILDREN’S TEETH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 17 April 1926, Page 6

CARE OF CHILDREN’S TEETH.

DENTAL CLINIC AT lIAWEEA SCHOOL. OPENED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON Three years have elapsed since the first application was made for a dental clinic to ho established at Hawera,'and yesterday the fruition of the long waiting and agitation was witnessed with the opening of the clinic in the movable class room erected! in the grounds of the Hawera Alain School. Provision has been made for a clinic to be attached to the new infants school (plans of which are at present before the Education Department), but in order to avoid any delay after the grant bv the Health Department, the Tarnaalci Education Board set up one of its movable class rooms for tempoiary accommodation. The 1 clinic, which will be under the control of Nurse Whittington, has been supplied by the Health Department with all the necessary dental appliances, while the- Education Board has provided the furnishings. The room is well lighted and is provided! with electric heating and lighting, a heater supplying hot water throughout the day. After the opening of the clinic, parents and visitors inspected the establishment and expressed themselves as being delighted with the arrangement. ' A commencement has been made with the work of attending to the children’s teeth, a number of the primer children having already been treated.

OPENING CEREMONY. The opening ceremony was performed by Air H. G„ Dickie, M.P., Mr J. W. Harding, chairman of the Hawera School Committee, presiding over a good attendance of parents and visitors. There were also present Mr J. L. Saunders, acting-director of the Division of Dental Hygiene, Mr S. G. Smith, chairman, and Messrs A. Lees and R. J. Deare, members of the Taranaki Education Board, members of the Hawera and surrounding school committees, and Nurse Whittington. Apologies were received from Messrs 11. J. Eaves arid P. J- I f. White, members of the Education Board, the Mayor (Air E A Pacey), Messrs W. Bright, J. Gray, A. G. Barley, H. W. Swinburn, ■and members of the Hawera Hospital Board. * Mr Harding said that it had been in April, 1923, that the first application had been placed before the Education Board for the establishment of a dental clinic at Hawera, and during the three years that had elapsed he had been endeavouring to _ obtain information regarding the administration of a clinic, arid he hoped that this would be supplied by Air Saunders. Since the committee had first commenced its agitation a considerable time had elapsed, and now that the clinic had been established he hoped that the nurse would gain the confidence of all the parents, and that a higher standard of health would prevail in the school.

Air S. G. Smith stated that since the establishment of a clinic at New Plymouth over 2000 children had received treatment, and the nurses now had the complete co-operation of the teachers. On every possible occasion the commit tees iof country schools were asking that the privilege should be extended to their districts. Hawera was the second centre in the board’s district in which a clinie had been established. At Stratford, by arrangement with a local dentist, a travelling clinic, which covered a number of the schools, had been put into operation, and this was achieving good results. It was hoped that within a short time it would be possible to extend the privileges of treatment to. .the smaller schools surrounding Hawera. When the old Technical School building was rendered vacant, the board had decided to reserve a room for a dental clinic, but the Federation of Dairy Factories had applied for accommodation, and this was granted, the room reserved for the clinic being included. Shortly after, the erection of a new infants’ school had been mooted, and provision was made for the clinic in this, but it was realised that this building could not be ready in time- for the opening of the clinic, and in order to avoid delay a temporary room had been provided to allow of the. work being commenced early.

PARENTS SHOULD CO-OPERATE. The board realised that the matter should have the whole-hearted co-oper-ation of the parents, and toi this end he would appeal to. them to assist the nurse. When clinics were first established, dentists had been afraid that the scheme would interfere with thenbusiness, but throughout New Zealand they were now offering their co-opera-tion. No person should have any hesitation in assisting towards the improving of the-health of the children, which was one of the most important things to be considered. He would congratulate Hawera in this that it had managed to secure a clinic, and he hoped that, as the years advanced -and. the work progressed and increased, the people would realise that the first opening was an epoch-making event towards better health. One way in which parents could assist the nurse was by seeing that®their children carried out tooth brush drill. Judging as a layman, he had seen a wonderful improvement in the health of children since the inauguration of tooth brush drill.

Mr Harding at this point introduced Nurse Whittington. Since the first inception of dental hygiencinto schools, the board had been most sympathetic, said Mr Lees. When the first clinic was opened in .1920 a resolution had been passed favouring the early establishment of clinics in the three Taranaki centres —New Plymouth. Stratford and Hawera. It -was realised that the progress was necessarily slow, and that they could not be' opened quickly. The number of institutions now in operation in Taranaki was considered satisfactory, but it was thougnt to bn only a matter of time before i permanent clinic should be established at Stratford. The department was to some extent limited in its activities, but from now on clinics should bo opened as soon as nurses were available, and he thought it -would not be long before it would be necessary to employ two nurses at Hawera. Tt was pleasing to see that Miss Whittington had been sent, to Hawera, for being a Hawera young lady, her love would be in her work. He felt sure that her efforts would have the effect of improving the health of the children generaly. Mr J. L. Saunders, officer in charge of the training school for nurses, gave a very interesting address regarding the prevalence of dental disease in New Zealand and the work of administration of the clinics (reported elsewhere). Mr Dickie, M.P., agreed that New Zealand had a rather unenviable record in connection with, dental disease,, and

reriiarked that during the war the Dominion’s troops were famous for false teeth. Many of the bodily diseases were directly due to the state of the teeth, and dental nurses were doing a great service to humanity by caring for the children’s teeth. He wished the clinic every success. APPEAL FOR INFANTS’ SCHOOL

Air Harding made an appeal on behalf of the parents for tne member’s assistance towards securing a grant for the proposed infants’ school. He observed that proper accommodation would be provided for the clinic at the new building. From the opinions expressed by the departmental officers who recently inspected the buildings, be was afraid that the matter would have to wait some time longer unless the assistance of tlic member of Parliament for the district -was invoked. Air Dickie assured Air Harding that lie would be pleased to endeavour to have the work expedited. Mt Smith remarked that the present building was badly lighted, ventilated and heated, and was generally obsolete. Air Dickie declared that the younger children should have better opportunities.