Dental Treatment For Under-School-Age Children

Northern Advocate, 17 July 1939, Page 4

Dental Treatment For Under-School-Age Children

•‘Dental treatment of children under the age of five years is, in my opinion, the chief phase of the work of the Schools Dental Service,” said Mr J. Reid, in moving, at the annual meeting of the Whangarei Schools’ Dental Clinic Committee, that under-school-age children shall bo accepted for treatment at the dental clinics at the Whangarei, Hora Hora and Whau Valley Schools.

In seconding the motion, Mr H. Wilson said that early detection of dental decay would in all probability remove the necessity for extensive treatment at a later date. Also, by attending at an early age a child would learn never to fear visiting a dental clinic.

The chairman, Mr M. W. Porter, pointed out that the need for treatment of children of tender years was, unfortunately, very real. There had been in the past, at least two cases where the dental nurses had had to fill or extract almost every tooth. Mr R. W. Parker said that there was not the slightest doubt that the health of a child depended very largely upon the condition of its teeth. Treatment, when necessary, could not be carried out too soon.

The motion was carried unanimously. The charge per child was fixed at 1/6. This will entitle a child to two complete treatments, at a six-monthly interval. The age was fixed at two and a half years. At present Nurse B. V. Webber is operating at Whau Valley School, and Nurse C. M, Young at Hora Hora School.