SCHOOL DENTISTRY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2126, 7 December 1920, Page 6

SCHOOL DENTISTRY.

EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN. SOURCE OP OPPOSITION. [Special to The Sun.] WELLINGTON, December 6. "Tho opposition to the department 'o scheme for the employment of women dental nurses in schools is dwindling," said the Minister of Health and Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) to-day. "It ie very evident that the agitation against I employing women for this work originates in the Dunedin Dental School, which at present enjoys a Dominion monopoly of training facilities. Twa dentists in different towns have sent me a copy of a voting card which Professor Pickerill, last week, sent out to all dentists. Professor Pickerill has apparently taken it on himself, presumably without the knowledge of the University which employs him, to take a poll of the dentists, in order to get a vote against the new scheme. The voting card is disingenious and unfair, as it loaves room for only one opinion. It is worded as follows: I entirely disapprove of employing women as dental operators in tho State service unless they are fully qualified and registered dentists. Signed Degrees "Professor Pickerill appeals to each dentist to sign it: As will be seen, no dental surgeon who approves of the new scheme is given a chance to vote at all on this precious voting card. Moreover, accompanying the voting card is a long explanatory statement by Professor Pickerill, which is nothing more nor less than a perversion of the actual facts, and an appeal to professional selfishness. I hope the dentists will not bother their heads over this vote. It can have no value, because it is based on a onesided statement of tho case. After tho holidaysj steps will be taken to put tho actual facts before all practising dentists. "The Dunedin coterie's activity is also shown in another direction. I observe that in the country newspapers, | Professor Pickerill's pupils at Dunedin are writing letters each to his own home town, attacking the new scheme. It is easy to see that the same fine Roman hand has written or instigated fill these \ letters, the phraseology being the same. The dental students might be more usofully employed than in this sort of political agitation. The public will not be I misled.

"My problem is, as sooij as possible, to give relief to nearly 208,000 school children, who, the figures show, all need dental attention. To do any good, the department must strike out on new lines. I am satisfied that the dental school is not turning out half enough dentists for the adult needs of the community, and we shall wait till Doomsday if we rely upon the dental school for the children's needs. The school dental department, the doctors of the Public Health Department, and sound dental practitioners, such as Mr Nelson Mitchell, Dr Norman Cox, Colonel Rishworth, and many others, are agreed that carefullyselected women with a two years' course of special training will do the children's work quite as efficiently as any student from the dental school, 50 per cent, of whose course is really not necessary for our special purposes. i '' The . Dunedin opponents are po.or sportsmen. Three months ago they opposed the new scheme before the Dental Association, and were beaten, after full, argument, by 16 votes to seven. They cannot take a beating, and now, by devious methods and misstatement of the issues, are seeking to crouse professional opposition. I repeat my previous assurance to the dental profession that the new scheme will not prejudice the profession, but, on the contrary, will raise » its importance and value in the public estimation."