SCHOOL DENTAL WORK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, Issue LIV, 6 December 1920, Page 3

SCHOOL DENTAL WORK

n EI’LV TO CIOTIC ISM. I HEX E KITS OK THE S( 11 KM K. A st;itement in reply tf) recent criticism <.T the scheme lor State denta freatment of school children was mam hr Mr .1. Norman Rishworth. chairniaii ul’ Urn Executive Conned of tin New /calami Denial .Association, say,, the 1 leva Id. Exception was taken hy Mr Kishwort!) fo flic statement hy the Dmiedir hranch of the association, that tin employment ol women would he "disastrous for the school children.” and , would "lower the standard of den jis try in New Zealand and degrade tin 1 profession for ail time.” _ Quite the i opposite should he the effect , lie said. The Oeutal nurse would he specially trained for their particular duty, and should he mure skilled in that one department than the qualified dental I surgeon. whose education embraced every branch of dental snrgerv. The slates of the profession, he added, should be improved hy the introduction of the scheme and the dice: on the , mi ml of the imhlie when if appreciated lihe eanmst endeavour that was being [made jo eliminate dental disease. * Mr Ifishwcrth said 1m regretted that i mem lie rs of the association had made l ose of the press in a campaign to tiehat rhe expressed wishes of a large majority of the executive of the Now Zealand Dental Association, instead oi loyally abiding hy conclusions readme alter long discussion. Mr ,Rislnvorth in his capacity of chairman of the Executive Council, presided at the meet ing in question, and he resell te< strongly the suggestion that members were not given full opportunity tc

express their views. On the contrary he allowed them every liber _y. Referring to Professor H. I’. Jhek* .nil's objection to the mnth.><l pr..«-p..-e,j .<1 i(eating the-Vi.mipet doldieu Int Xh- '(<•> lile' the oilier one- . Mr F. 1 ishworih said it was obvious a Mail rat.isi he made some where, and sureh 1 1. was sound pulley [u begin with the i ( 11,Ireii immediately thev entered • rimol, ami to follow them Hirongh o* the date of leaying. It would he leadily seen that hy this method, in the course of a very lew years, ail school children should hate (omp.uatindv heahhv mouths, l> must he remembered that the Governmcm. had been advised hy the representatives oi the Dental Association that .Mr Huntor's scheme had their ami ilm Minister ‘had shown evident inter- 1 iwt. Surely then it. was an impiopci procedure for individual members or Ii randies, to rake separate* action. A reply was made by Air lushworlll to a letter from Professor I’ickeni , published in the New Zealand Herald, in which the writer quoted pen ain remark* made bv Mr I! ishwort hj. AH i{dhworth said ilnd at the annual conference mi duly, IfM.T Dr Norman Gox, ,f 't’imarn, in his presidential address, mid stress upon tin* urgent need lor ati.milion to Hu* teeth of school children, md suggested that the only remedy would be a (.borough system ot Mate ion List ry. The matter was, discussed it the rncotiuc. and members express'd their general agreement, although not agreeing in detail. It was at that ime that he made the remarks quoted iv Dr Pickerill. The position haa ■ompletelv dumped since then, in •onseonenee of the heavy public commitments duo to the war.'ami to ask ilm Government to go in lor an elahoiilt> scheme, hv which highly trained ,nd paid dental surgeons would he .callable would be to court relnsal from the Government. The alternative mi forward by Mr Hunter, and m> lorsed at the executive meeting -n A’dliimton although admittedly fa. 'rom perfect, was au honest attempt o cope with a most serious and now veil-recognised evil-