DENTAL STUDENTS' TRAINING

Otago Witness, Issue 3276, 27 December 1916, Page 13

DENTAL STUDENTS' TRAINING

DISCUSSION IN AUCKLAND. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, December 18. The question of tho provision being made in Auckland for a complete couree of dental training is emphasised in a report received at to-day's meeting of the Auckland University College Council from Mr A. M. Carter (lecturer in dental anatomy at the college). Mr Carter, who had been asked to report on the question of a dental course to enable students to qualify in Auckland for their certificates of proficiency, stated that there appeared to be no way of fully satisfying the requirements of even a suggested modified course, as there was no provision for teaching J dissection and no "recognised dental scnool." The first of these difficulties possibly might be met by a short course of, say, six months in Dunedin, but the absence of a school was a greater difficulty owing to the length of the training there. A dental school of some sort was a necessity. The urgent and increasing need for more dentists would never be met by any scheme presenting the complexities of the present one, which involved prolonged residence away from home. The condition of the teeth of school children alone demanded that an adequate supply of trained dentists should be maintained. He saw no insuperable difficulty in tho establishment of such a course of dentistry in Auckland as would produce the desired number of students. The chairman (Mr T. W. Leys) said the present system required a four years' course in dentistry. ' Three of the four years had to be spent in Dunedin, and the fees there amounted to £ll9. In 1914 there were only eight dental students at tho Dunedin school, while in 1915 the number was only six. It was certain that Auckland boys at present had no prospect of becoming- qualified dentists. Very few boys could go to Dunedin for three years and pay £ll9 in fees. Some radical change was required. Mr G. J. Garland said tho present system was absolutely absurd. The time was coming when they must look to both sexes for their supply of dentists, but girls could not leave their homes and go to Dunedin to be trained. Mr G. L. Pcacocke said the young people of Auckland at present had no chance of obtaining any vocational training unless they were banished for a time to one of tho southern centres. They should have an opportunity of obtaining their training in their own town. Tho chairman read a memo, prepared for submission to the Senate on the subject. In this it was represented that tho regulations framed under the Dentists Act had prevented the great majority of dentists' assistants from obtaining tho necessary qualifications. The opinion was expressed that facilities should be provided in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch for imparting tho greater part, if not all, of the instruction necessary to qualify for certificates of proficiency. The memorandum was approved.