TRAINING OF DENTISTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16497, 24 March 1917, Page 8

TRAINING OF DENTISTS.

;; "OTAGO SCHOOL A FAILURE" !. ONE CANDIDATE IN SIX YEARS. [BY TEIECRAI'H.— ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. Friday, •, '? The . question of the dental service has' a recently received : :close ; attention," the t Minister for Public Health, the Hon. G. s W. Russell, stated to-day/. Prior to tho 'I war there were about 500 dentists prac- "■ tisine in New Zealand. Of.them, 100 e have .been withdrawn.for war service, and tt should the war continue another 12 !- months. 30 more dentists will be required ■* for the forces, leaving 370 available for « practice in the Dominion. » . "It is with great surprise," added tho e Minister. " that I have learned that tho '" number presented for examination under [1 the Dentists' Act during the last six years j, is one only. Apparently the majority of I new dentists starting in New Zealand i have had training in American colleges, Y It is probable that in the early future the e Question of mobilising the dental service a will become as practical as that of mobilis- .. inp the medical service, which is already receiving attention. "It is clear that the method of training 6 dentists in New Zealand, as shown by the '» experience of the last six years, has proved l " & colossal failure, and, cannot be allowed § to continue. Somo moro efficient plan of *» training young men for this profession, * which is understood to be exceedingly * lucrative, must be established.* I recog- ;* nise that the Otago Dental School, under Professor Pickerill, is ably officored, but C its location, at one end of tho Dominion evidently does not provide sufficient facili- * ties.for young men. I think it will prob- '* ably be necessary to establish institutions a in tho other three centres, where a largo 8 amount of preliminary work can be under- ? taken by young men who are engaged as cadets in the employ of registered dentists, 0 and whose final term of training can be ? completed in a short period at the Otago institution before they receive their diplomas.