DENTAL DISEASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18924, 26 July 1923, Page 3

DENTAL DISEASE.

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION. IMPORTANT PROPOSALS. (Peb United Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, .Inly 25. Important proposals for treatment ana prevention o£ dental defects wore made to the Hospital Board to day. Dt -*-• AHunter wrote us follows‘"You know Hie work I am engaged on in building up a dental service in the endeavour to cope with the treatment of school children, and you also are aware of the easiness of the problem, as dental disease is increasing to an alarming extent in this ns in other countries. The more Igo into the subject the more I am convinced that a combination between the Government and the hospital boards in undertaking a campaign to fight this disease is the rational one, and one most likely to prove successful. The authorities are agreed that dental disease is not the simple matter tiiat is generally supposed, tint one of the most urgent and gravest of onr day. Yhdst a. few of the more up'-to-date hospitals have a dental department, and are doing a certain amount of treatment of young children, the largo majority are, practically speaking, doing nothing in this direction. lo got full results from a political and economic point of view a very large staff of workers will bo necessary to make this possible within a reasonable time. The Government is how undertaking the training of such, not only to treat a considerable amount of the disease, but to teach parents and othei s simple methods by way of preventing the disease. Onr results, so far as they go, are splendid, and whilst in the early stages there was opposition from a section of the profession, yon will have noticed that at the Dental Conference in Christchurch the other day a resolution was passed expressing complete confideiice in (he scheme. lam not. faiggesting in the slightest degree that our present service will lie restricted. I am sure we shall have double the number of nurses to train next year (hat wo had last year, and the present scheme will go forward, hut I consider the co-operation and co-ordination suggested would make for a more efficient and rapid general attack on the enemy.” It was agreed that the board should meet Dr Hunter on his next visit to Christchurch.