THE DENTISTS BILL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23013, 16 October 1936, Page 5

THE DENTISTS BILL

BOOMERANG EFFECT OF MEASURE EXPERIENCE IN AUSTRALIA (Per United'Press Association) AUCKLAND, Oct. 15, Basing his judgment on opinions he had heard expressed in Sydney recently, an Auckland dentist, Mr T. E. Bridger, stated that he believed the Dentists Bill, recently introduced by the .Government, would, have a reverse effect to what its advocates expected. Mr Bridger. left for Wellington yesterday to .place his views before the Health Committee, to which the Bill has been referred. Introduced by the New South Wales Government about 12 months ago, Mr Bridger said the Dentists Act.now operating in that State was even more rigid,. particularly in the prohibition of advertising by dentists, than was the Act brought before the jfew Zealand House of Representatives, but its aims and .principles were practically identical. In. the opinion pf a majority of dentists in New. Zealand, the.Bill aimed at pushing price of dental work, arid, .by. • prohibiting. advertising, taking away some oflije work done, by advertising .-dentists and distributing it •among the more conservative members .of "the, profession. . • ;' ;•"■'••. ■'.': ':.'., . ■',-'

"What I saw.in Sydney convinced me that one of the results the supporters of the Bill, hope from it will be realised—that is, an increase in prices. Fees for dental work in Sydney have risen sharply since their Act became law, and are still rising. In' the Sydney laboratories I saw a lot of work that could not compare with that of the principal advertising dentists of New Zealand, but was charged for at more than double New Zealand prices—l2 guineas, for fOr upper and lower dentures. "'',"''] ,' , " The New • South Wales Acti has had a boomerang effect. • Every conservative, non-advertising dentist I met complained that his .practice had decreased. The reason was that the publicity paid for by the advertising firms had made the public..'tooth conscious' or 'dentist conscious..' Now that the publication pf such reminders is prohibited, people forget that they have teeth until twinges of pain remind them of the fact. Then the teeth may be too far gone to save." , Mr Bridger added that Sydiiey dentists were disturbed and anxious.