SCHOOLS DENTAL CLINIC.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 April 1931, Page 7

SCHOOLS DENTAL CLINIC.

WORK OF LEVIN DISTRICT INSTITUTION.

OVER SEVEN THOUSAND ATTEN DANCES DEALT WITH.

The report of the Levin Dental Clinic Committee, cohering its work to March 31st last, and submitted at the annual meeting of householders, on Monday evening, was as follows: — This clinic was opened in June, 1929, and its district included the Levin District High School, the Koputaroa and Ihakara Schools, • Ohau and Muhunoa, and Manakau. The nurse appointed was Miss M. E. Ayson, and under her direction the work has gone on steadily ever since. Until near the end of 1930 the operations of the clinic were confined to the Levin District High School, and in December last a position had been reached where it was possible to extend the work to the outlying schools. Upon a ballot being taken by the Committee, the order in which these were to be treated was,decided as follows: (1) Koputaroa with Ihakara; (2) Uhau with Muhunoa; (3) Manakau. Miss Ayson was transferred to Petone in April of this year, and Nurse Mullan was appointed to take charge of the clinic. Nurse Mullan anticipates being able to commence the treatment of Ohau scholars upon the resumption of the school at the end of May, after the coming term holidays. The Committee made very strong representations to the Department upon the subject of the delay in dealing with the children of the outlying -schools which had caused great disappointment to the parents. A visit was secured from the Departmental Inspector, Mr Elliott, and correspondence took place with the Director, in which the Committee urged very forcibly that the procedure be changed so that a fairer method of dealing with the smaller schools would operate. We suggested that either the most urgent cases in these schools be treated at once or that certain days each week be allotted to them so that the work would proceed step by step in all the centres. The Department, however, could not be induced to depart from its system and in his reply the Director said:

“With regard to the suggestion that days be set aside to deal with urgent cases from all these schools. I regret to say that such procedure would not be in accordance with the well considered policy relating to dental treatment. The aim of the Department is not so much to relieve pain in advanced cases, as to prevent dental disease by concentrating on the youngest children, and then keeping them under regular attention until they pass out of the Fourth Standard. This can only be accomplished by adding one school at a time, and concentrating on the children of that school, at the same time maintaining revision and treating new entrants in the schools already included. Although under this method it takes several years to develop a dental group, greater benefit accrues to the children, and the results are more lasting than under any other method that has been suggested.’ ’ Particulars of the work carried out up to March 31st are as follow: Levin School. —The number of children under treatment at the Levin District High School is 268, all of whom are completed with the exception of 22 new entrants.

Koputaroa.—Thirty-eight children are under treatment at Koputaroa, of whom 22 are completed, leaving sixteen to complete. Nurse Ayson’s report on this school is as follows: “The transport problem seems to be difficult, but if the children continue to come

in Tuesdays and Fridays, as they have been doing, by private car, Koputaroa should be finished at about the same time as the Levin new entrants are completed. The Headmaster and the teacher in charge of the infants have been very good in trying to arrange appointments with the parents. ” • Summary of Work,

A great deal of treatment has been carried out at the clinic, and the Committee is assured by the Departmental Dental Officer that it is of a highly satisfactory character. The following table gives details of the work; • Levin Koputfiroa Total attendances 3224 57 Fillings 3144 152 Extractions 1058 74 Cleaning etc. 1274 52

With other minor operations carried out, the total for the two schools comes to 7087, which bears striking testimony to the usefulness , of the clinic and the need for systematic dental care. Finance.

The capital cost (building and furnishing) of the clinic has been contributed as follows: Government £2OO, Levin School Committee £93 ss, Koputaroa Committee £7 3s, Ohau Committee £8 ss, Manakau Committee £5 10s.

The Levin Committee, in view of the fact that their school has received the major portion of the benefit up to the present, has borne the whole cost of maintenance, which from June to December, 1929, amounted to £l2 10s, and in the year ending February 28th, 1931, totalled £22, The maintenance requirement can be put dowif at £25 per year to allow for depreciation of furniture.

The Committee has just been advised by the Director of the Dental Department that the Government intends, as from the Ist April last, to make a charge of £3O per year for treatment and cost of materials, and to give the Committee the right to make a levy on parents, with provision for exemption in cases of hardship. This is a matter that the Dental Committee will have to consider as soon as fuller details are received from the Department. It appears that we must be prepared to raise by direct levy or some other means, a sum of between 50 and £6O annually. Before concluding this report, appreciation should be recorded of the efficient work of Nurse Ayson, who controlled the clinic for nearly two years, during which the work went steadily forward without interruption, and the interests of the infant patients and the school organisation received the utmost consideration. CO-OPERATION OF PARENTS. HOW THEY CAN HELP. In the course of a report on relinquishing control of the Levin Dental Clinic, Nurse Ayson makes the following comment on the assistance that parents can give in the work of fighting dental disease: There are two ways in which parents can help the nurse a great deal, and that is punctuality in keeping appointments, and home care of the mouth. The latter is very important and can be brought about by the ptoper use of the tooth-brush and diet.

If parents only realized how important a part diet plays in the prevention of dental disease, I am sure they would prevent their children taking foods, containing highly refined white sugar, to excess, such as sweets and biscuits — see that wholemeal bread is eaten instead of white and finish off the meal with some food having an acid reaction, preferably a piece of apple. When children come back for reexamination, it is amazing to notice the difference in some children’s mouths. Those children whose parents study their diet, come back with nice clean mouths, with very seldom anything to be done, while other children come with their mouths dirty and almost as much work to be done as in the initial treatment. If parents would realise this, think of the amount of time saved and the benefit to the child.

It is only with the intelligent co-opera-tion of parents that one can hope to check the serious prevalence of dental disease.