SCHOOL DENTISTRY

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 14539, 10 December 1920, Page 3

SCHOOL DENTISTRY

ADVERSE CRITICISM. MINISTERIAL REJOINDER. (United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister of Edueation, has made the following reply to the adverse criticism on the school dentistry scheme:— In view of the statements appearing In tnc daily press in criticism of the Government scheme for the dental treatment of school children, I feel it my duty to again deny the charge that the Government intends to employ partially trained women in treating children of the primer classes of the public schools. Nothing could have been more wilfully conceived than this attempt to warp the judgment of the public in reference to the scheme, and I feel bound to say that the unfair attitude of those opposed to the measure has been largely guided by Professor Pickerill, of the Dental School, Dunedin. who has employed every means in his power to lead the parents of the children and the public generally to believe that I am the advocate of inefficiency iii connection with the dental treatment of school children. Professor Pickerlll's Objections. The Government proposals were placed before a representative meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Dental Association. At this meeting, at which Professor Pickerill was present by invitation, he was given every opportunity (o state his views, but the assembled delegates decided in favour of Hie Department's scheme by 1(5 votes to 7. After the meeting Professor Pickerill gave me his unsolicited promise that he would do everything in his power to further the success of the scheme. The public may judge in what manner he has kept his promise. In tile words of the late Acting-Director of the Dental School: "What new development then has come forward to cause Dr Pickerill to change his indicated attitude? Why has he waiter! several months, allowed Mr Hunter to develop his plans, and then made a violent attack on a scheme which he had given his word not to oppose? The new fact, the announcement of which synchronised with Dr Pickerill's attack, is that these dental nurses are to be trained by a supervisor in Wellington, and consequently will not be under his control." The objections raised by Professor Pickeril] in his arguments against the scheme are a : . follows: t. That it is lib- intention of the Government to employ partially trained women who will give inefficient service. 2. That in treating primer classes the Government is neglecting the more advanced dental trouble amongst the senior pupils. 3. That no provision is made for the treatment of children in country schools. 4. That the principle of employing dental nurses for the carrying out of simple operations lias been vetoed in Great Britain. 5. That the Government in failing to wail until lie lias turned out sufficient numbers of qualified dentists from the School, is neglecting to provide the best service in the interests of the public. Qi.ial'flcations of Women. With regard to Hie first, point. Professor Pickerill knows belter than anyone in New Zealand that the women who "ill ultimately he employed will, as tiie result of their intensive training, lie infinitely belter qualified to carry out simple dental operations than the graduate just qualified from the Mental School. They will receive an intensive training in their special branch, which it is quite impossible to give the usual graduate; and that tin's fact is so is borne out by a statement recently made by a practising dentist who graduated from the Dental School that, from his own experience, he is convinced that after a two years' course devoted entirely to simple fillings and extractions (lie dental nurse will he much better qualified to perform these operations than he himself was at the end of his four years' course at. the University. These women will not be partially trained. They will bo fully qualified and expert in the particular branches in which they will be employed, and in tin's connection it is pointed out tiiat to train these women in other branches of dentistry which would not be utilised would be an economic waste. For instance, of what use would il be to train women to do oral surgery proper such as treatment of dontigerous and oilier cysts, impacted fee/h, r]ofl pala/o. etc., advanced operative treatment as gold fillings and inlays, crown and bridge work, and the making of artificial teeth. The employment of (tiese specially -frame I nurses will allow the qualified dentists in flic service to devote (heir higher skill and knowledge to the more difficult branches of the work, although in school dentistry much of this skill cannot be utilised. Prevention Better than Cure.

Professor Pickerill's statement that flie efforts of the Department should he concentrated on eliminating the advanced dental trouble of Hi" senior pupils is, in view of the conditions in fhis country, an amazing indiscretion and I could not. recommend to the Department such an illogical proposition. The srlienio must make a beginning and all effort must be so expended thai the cumulative effect of the treatment will be directed towards the earliest control of Hie school dental problem. Which is Hi" most common sense altitude to adopt? To attempt the enormous amount of treatment for Hie senior pupils willi the necessarily restricted facilities at hand and so allow the present primers to experience the unfortunate conditions already readied by those now in the higher standards, or to correct the dental defects of the pupils in the lower standards and following these up to achieve definite and beneficial results with all pupils in all standards by the time the children first to receive treatment finish their State School education? My experience of the last 30 years in dentistry and dental organisation goes for nought if I am not right in my conviction that the latter is the only logical course to pursue. The older children will not lie any worse off. There is still the private practitioner and the dental service connected with the public hospitals, and in this direction I am using my influence, to have such service extended when qualified dentists are available. "A Grossly Unfair Attack." The assertion (hat no provision is made for the treatment of the children in Hie country schools is incorrect and a grossly unfair attack upon the scheme, for Professor Pickerill has from [lie first been perfectly well aware of tin' Department's intention to give Iroatnionl in country districts by means of denial ambulances, a number or which are already fully equipped for the purpose. The fourth point, with reference to the cmploymrnl of women in Great Britain, indicates that Professor Pickerill has not hesitated |n twist actions and Incidents to suit his purpose in condemning the scheme. I have an intimate knowledge of the conditions reigning in Ureal Britain, being an honorary member of the British School Dentists Society, and appreciate the magnitude of giving dental treatment to six million school children, and I unhesitatingly stale that Hie objections in Great Britain to Hie employment of women for fhis purpose have been based upon the proposal that untrained women should be employed. Willi this objection I heartily concur; but will

I anyone with even the most elementary ; knowledge of our proposals maintain I that the two cases arc parallel in their ! application to school dentistry? On the one hand there is the proposal, I rightly vetoed by those in authority, to ' employ untrained women, and on the other hand the intention of the New Zealand Government to make use of the services of women after an intensive course of training over a period of two years in the special branch for . which they will be employed. An Interested Party. The fifth and final objection, viz., that the Government should wait until the Dental School furnishes school dPiilists, is on' 1 nearest the heart of the Director' of the Dental School. This objection has an intimate bearing upon the output of his institution, thus proving Professor Pickerill to be a very much interested party in connection with the Government's intentions. It is perfectly plain that the employment of graduates only would greatly increase the emoluments of the school, and incidentally the prestige of the director, as bv a substantial increase in the number of dental bursaries the number if students would be greatly augmented, and Professor Pickerill would have the comforting knowledge that all graduates of the school over and above the ' number that the country could absorb vear bv vear would be employed by the Government. This would be a very satisfactory state of things from his point of view, but there are objections to such a course. Apart from the urgencv of coping with the problem with the least possible delay, the restriction of the field of operations for some considerable time to come would preclude graduates so employed from the practice of many other branches of tin' profession in which they had been trained. Again it would be possible to retain denial bursars in the Government service for a short lime only, for although to women this work would prove interesting, no ; hi worth his salt would be content in... finitely to apply I,is university training largely to mere simple operations. Thus the service would be in a slate of continual change and the departmental organisation indescribably handicapped. Further, it is widely ' admitted that the average woman is very much more successful i in the handling of small children than ! (he average man, and piven a numoj--1 of fully trained women 1 am perfectly confident, that working .mder tt>«; supervision of qualified dentists as they will he a speedier and belter service Will be rendered than by any other moans, particularly so when the conditions for the selection of Ihese women are pointed out, some of which are as follows:—Applicants must be over 20 years of age. preference will be given io those between the ages of 2a and 3a Preference will be given to applicants who are registered trained nurses; successful applicants will he accepted for a probationary period of two months. Such careful selection is not demanded in the case of students entering the medical and dental professions. The proposals about to be put into force by the Government are the result of experience and much thought and I wish to state with all the emphasis at my command that in New Zealand in my opinion they embody the one and only rational method of dealing with undoubtedly one of the greatest problems with which to-day the Governments of most civilised countries are faced.