SCHOOL DENTAL WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19807, 30 November 1927, Page 12

SCHOOL DENTAL WORK.

DEFENCE OF THE SYSTEM. " EQUAL TO ANY IN WORLD." DR. PICKERILL'S CRITICISM. Reference to ;i recent criticism by Dr. H. G. Pickerili, a former director of the dental school of Ota go University, regarding the system of school dental clinics in operation in New Zealand, was made by Mr. G. L. Taylor, president of the New Zealand Dental Association, at a function given in honour of Mr. C. H. Moses ori Monday evening. Mr. Taylor said he desired to combat the remarks made by Dr. Pickerili, who had vigorously criticised the system of authorising nurses with two years' training to operate on children's teeth. In some fields of dental science Dr. Pickerili was rightly regarded as a high authority, but he considered the work of preserving dental hygiene in New Zealand carried out by the Government was of great practical value. Dr. Pickerili had expressed the opinion that the work of the nurses was not dental hygiene, but cheap dentistry. His opinion was that the whole system was fundamentally wrong, and that it was having an unfortunate effect upon the morale of New Zealand children and parents. "I must take this opportunity of stating the dentists of New Zealand do not agree with Dr. Pickerili on this question,' Mr. Taylor said. "At the general meeting of the New Zealand Dental Association held last May a resolution was carried congratulating the department on the excellent work that is being carried out by the dental nurses in the treatment of school children. When one realises that prior to f.he inauguration of the school dental service in 1921 over 95 per cent, of the children attending primary schools suffered from dental diseases, it is quite apparent that some comprehensive scheme of treatment of school children was necessary. It would have been too expensive a task for the whole of the work to be performed by qualified dental surgeons, as so much of the treatment required is of an elementary nature. "The dental nurses are well trained up to the standard required, and with the clinics established to date over 35,000 children attending the primary schools are receiving dental service. This will have a very beneficial effect on the health of the rising generation and the scheme should certainly be extended so that it may be available for all the younger children attending primary schools." It was felt that New Zealand possessed a school dental service equal to any in the world. It had been wisely decided to train nurses for the work, which was national in its scope.