DENTAL CLINICS.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17133, 21 June 1927, Page 5

DENTAL CLINICS.

TEETH OF OUR CHILDREN. MORE NURSES NEEDED. SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. Interesting figures relative to dental clinics were quoted by the Minister of Health, Hon. J. A. Young, in a prcsessional address to his constituents at the Hamilton Town Hall last night. The Minister said that a brief study of the positions reveals the following facts: —The State primary schools’ populations of the Dominion is o\cr 200,000 pupils. The number of- State dental nurses and operators in the field working on children’s teeth is 76. Appriximaalely 06,000 State school children are under treatment. It was hoped by the end of the year this number would be slightly increased as the teeth and mouths of children in new districts were put in order. The Department had' G 5 trainees at present under instruction at the training depot in Wellington undergoing a two years’ course ;■ of these 28 were in their second year and 37 in their first year. Cabinet gave authority last year for this latter increase. Possibly a few of these would drop •out during the year. The maximum capacity of the training school since it was enlarged recently would be to turn out 30 trained dental nurses per annum. Any further increase in the trainees beyond that number would mean the provision of other or enlarged premises at considerable cost. It was estimated that it would require at least 300 dental nurses in the field to cope with the needs of the children in the State schools.

In addition to the actual treatment of diseased teeth and oral conditions arising therefrom, the division specialised, said the Minister, in training the nurses to carry on oral hygiene propaganda; in other words, fitted them to give instruction to children and parents in what was called dental prophylaxis, or the science of caring for the human body in such a way as to prevent or reduce to a minimum the liability to dental disease. Mr. Young said that he was at present collaborating with officers of the division with a view to standardising this propaganda work so that all nurses, not only school dental nurses but all school general nurses, and all public health nurses, and indeed, school teachers, would be instructed along approved lines with a view to disseminating among children and parents correct knowledge, so as to give the former every opportunity to avoid, as far as possible, troubles arising from neglected teeth. This, he believed, it was possible to do at a trifling cost to the Government. In view of the facts set out his hearers wiuld realise the magnitude of the work in hand, and that which remained first to be done for the children attending the State primary schools. When the happy position was attained that all chlidrcn up to a certain age in the State Schools had dental treatment available, then would be the time to consider the claims of those attending the private schools, and for the Government to determine what extent of service they may expect to receive at the hands of the Government.

“As a matter of general principle I am of opinion,’’ said the Minister of Health, “that good health in the individual should he thc basic foundation on which to build democracy. Recognising also that while the Government has its responsibility in that respect to every class and section of the community, it can only fulfil that responsibility in proportion to resources and capacity to give and extend that service. The price of making the special health services of the Government available to every citizen in the community is sound, and I subscribe to it, but in my opinion, it should, as in the case of the Dental Service, first go as far as it is possible to those who are under the direct or special care of the Government, such as, for instance, the younger children attending the State Schools. The Minister said that 16 new dental nurses, recently qualified, had, during their first complete month in the field, performed the following amount of treatment;—Fillings 2795, extractions 1216, minor operations 1068. It was satisfactory to note the class of treatment, especially the large number of fillings over extractions and minor operations and as one who claimed to know something of this work, the Minister described the return as excellent.