NEW DENTAL SCHEME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17648, 8 December 1920, Page 6

NEW DENTAL SCHEME.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER

OPPOSITION DWINDLING. AN " UNFAIR " VOTING PAPER [by TELEGBAPH. — OWN COBBESFOXDENT.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday "The opposition to the department's scheme for the employment of women dental nurses in schools is dwindling." said the Minister for Public Health and Education (Hon. C. J. Parr). "It is very evident that the agitation against employing women for this work originates in the Dunedin Dental School, which at present a Dominion monopoly of training facilities. Two dentists in different towns have sent me a copy of a voting card which Professor Pickerill last week sent out to all dentists. Professor Pickerill has apparently taken it on himself, presumably without the knowledge of the university which employs him, to take a poll of the dentists in order to get a vote against the new scheme. The voting card is unfair, as it leaves room for only one opinion. It is worded as follows :— ' I entirely disapprove of employing women as dental operators in the State service unless they are fully qualified and registered dentists.' Professor rickerill appeals to each dentist to sign it. "As will be seen, no dental surgeon who approves of the new scheme is given a chance to vote at all on this precious voting card. Moreover, accompanying the voting card, is a long explanatory statement by Professor Pickerill, which is nothing more or less than a perversion of the actual facts and an appeal to professional selfishness. I hope the dentists will not bother their heads over this vote. The public will not be misled. My problem is as soon as possible to give relief to nearly 200,000 school children who the figures show, all need dental attention. To do any good the department must strike out on new lines. I am satisfied that the Dental School is not turning out half enough dentists for the adult needs of the community. Dental practitioners, such as Mr. Nelson Mitchell. Dr. Norman Cox, Colonel Rishworth, and many others are agreed that carefully selected women, with a two years' course of special training, will do the children's work quite as efficiently as any student from the Dental School, 50 per cent, of whose course is really not necessary for our special purposes."

OPPOSITION PROM

DENTAL ASSOCIATION VIEW.

[BT TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION-.]

CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday.

At a special general meeting of the North Canterbury branch (Christchurch) of the New Zealand Dental Association the following resolution was passed:— " That this branch reaffirms its intense opposition to the Government's proposal to employ partially-trained women as operators to carry out the dental treatment of school children. That this branch. stands for nothing less than the employment of qualified dentists, male or female, for this work. That the employment of dental nurses is advocated, but purely to carry out nurses' duties."