SCHOOL DENTISTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17651, 11 December 1920, Page 9

SCHOOL DENTISTRY.

DEPARTMENT'S SCHEME. REPLY TO CRITICISM. SPECIAL TRAINING ADEQUATE [BY TELEGRAPH. —own- CORRESfOKDENT] WELLINGTON, Friday Criticism of the proposed employment of dental nurses in the school medical service has been answered by the Minister foT 4 Education. " I feel it my duty again to deny the charge that the Government intends to employ partiallytrained women in treating children of the primer classes of the public schools." Mr. Parr says. " Nothing could have been more wilfully conceived than this attempt to warp the judgment of the public in reference to the scheme, and I feel bound to say that the unfair attitude of those opposed to the measure has been largely guided by the special pleading of Professor Pickerill, of the Dental School, Dunedin, who has employed every means in his power to lead the parents of the children and the public generally to believe that I am the advocate of inefficiency in connection with the dental treatment of school children. "The Government, proposals were placed before a representative meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Dental Association. At this meeting Professor Pickerill was present by invitation and was given every opportunity to slate his views, out the assembled" delegates decided in favour of the department's scheme bv 16 votes to 7. After the meeting Professor Pickerill gave me his unsolicited promise that he would do everything in 13 power to further the success of the scheme. The public may judge in what manner he has kept this promise. •Professor Plckerili's Objections. " The objections raised bv Professor Pickerill in his arguments against the scheme are as follows:—(1) That it is the intention of the Government to employ partially-trained women, who will give inefficient service; (21 that in treating primer classes the Government is neglect ing the more advanced dental trouble among the senior pupils; (3) that no provision is made for the treatment of children in country schools; (4) that the principle of employing dental nurses for the carrying out of simple operations has been vetoed in Great Britain; (5) that the Government, in failing to wait until he has turned out sufficient numbers of qualified dentists from the school, is neglecting to provide the best service in the interests of the public. "With regard to the first point. Professor Pickerill knows better than anyone in New Zealand that the women who "w ill ultimately be employed will, as th e result of their intensive training, be infinitely better qualified to carry out simple dental operations than the graduate just qualified from the dental school. They will receive an intensive training in * their special branch which it is impossible to give the usual graduate. These women will not be partially trained. They will be fully qualified and expert in the particular branches in which they will be employed.. "An Amazing Indiscretion." "Professor Pickerill's statement that the efforts of the department should be concentrated on eliminating the advanced dental trouble of the senior pupils is, in view of the conditions in this country, an amazing indiscretion, and I could not recommend to the department such an illogical proposition. The scheme must make a beginning, and all effort must be so expended that the cumulative effect of the treatment will be directed toward the earliest control of the school dental problem. Which is the most com-mon-sense attitude to adopt? To attempt the enormous amount of treatment for the senior pupils with the necessarily restricted facilities at hand, and so allow the present primers to experience the unfortunate conditions already reached by those now in the higher standards; or to correct the dental defects of the pupils in the lower standards and following these up, to achieve definite and beneficial results with all pupils in all standards by the time the children first to receive treatment finish their State school education? My experience of the last 30 years i>i dentistry and dental organisation, goes for nought if I am not right in my conviction that the latter is the only logical courseto pursue. Country 'Schools Services. " The assertion that no provision is made for the treatment of the children in the country schools is incorrect and a grossly unfair attack: upon the scheme, for Professor Pickerill bps from the first been perfectly well aware of the department's intention to give treatment in country districts by means of dental ambulances, a number of which are already fully equipped for the purpose. Proposals in Britain. " The fourth point is with reference to the employment of women in Great Britain. I have an Intimate knowledge of the conditions reigning in Great Britain, and I unhesitatingly state that the objections there to the employment of women for this purpose have been based upon the proposal that untrained women, should be employed. With this objection I heartily concur; but ■ will anyone with even tho most elementary knowledge of our proposals maintain that the two cases are parallel in their, application to school dentistry? On the one hand there is the proposal rightly vetoed by those in authority to employ untrained women, and on the other hand the intention of the New Zealand Government to make use of the services of women after an'_ intensive course of training in the special branch for which they will be employed. Dunedin School Graduates. "The fifth and final objection— tha Government should wait until the Denial School furnishes- school dentists, is one nearest the heart of the director of t&e Dental School. This objection has an intimate bearing upon the output of his institution, thus proving Professor Pickerill to be a very much interested party in connection with the Government's intentions. It is perfectly plain that the employment of graduates only would greatly increase the emoluments of the school and incidentally the prestige of the director. "Further, it is widely admitted that the average woman is very much more successful in the handling of snv'l children than the average man, and given a number of fully-trained women, 1 am perfectly confident that working under i-.e supervision of qualified dentists as they will be, a speedier and better service will be rendered, than by any other means, particularly so, when the conditions for the selection of these women are pointed out, some of which are as follows: —Applicants must be over 20 years of age, preference will be given to those between the agps of 25 and 65; preference will be given to applicants who are registered trained nurses; successful applicants v i!' he accepted for a probationary period of two months. Such careful selection is not demanded in the case of students entering the medical and dental professions. " The proposals about to be put into force by the Government are the result of experience and much thought." Mr, Parr adds, " and I wish to state with all the emphasis at my command, that in New Zealand, in my opinion, they embody the one and only rational method of dealing with undoubtedly one of the greatest problems with which to-day the Governments of most civilised countries are faced."