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DENTISTRY AND WAR

AN EXPERT'S VIEWS NEED FOR PREPAREDNESS Tho president of tho New Zealand Dental Association this year is Mr. Maurice Denniston, of Wellington, who, at tho opening of the twelfth annual conference in tho Masonic Hall on Tuesday morning, delivered an address that will bo read with, interest. "In. common with the rest of our raoo," said Mr. Donniston, "we, as a body of professional men, have been paesing through perhaps tho most critical time in our history, and, without being too self-laudatory, I think wo can safely assert that we have not failed in our duty either to our country or t<) our profession. Tho war wo are waging has taught, us many things, chief of which, to my mind, is tho virtue of 'preparedness'; but' oven unprepared, we have evolved in England vast armies, huge supplies of munitions, and trained battalions of women workers—almost, as it were, .out. of nothingness by tho waving of a wand. Here, in our own land, has been created a considerable army, well trainod; well equipped, physically fit and competent to stand the. unceasing strain of 6ervioe abroad under modern conditions. And in this physical fitness (without 'which a soldier is as naught, and is but a drain and ..a tax on' his fellows), the members of our association have played a. part, the vaetness of which has not as yet beon comprehended, nor can it, nor will it, be realised until many years arc past. It is not fitting that we should indulge in pleasing platitudes onour.own virtues—nor have I any desire so to do — but I think it not amiss; to place on record the expressed, opinion of the Hon. Sir James Allen, Acting-Prime Mini6ter and Minister of Defenco, as given in a recent interview at Auckland. ' ■

"Sir James Allen said': 'I want the public to realise , all that is due to tho Dental Association and its members for the work they have douo manner in which they havo come to tho assistance of the Defence Department. It , has been a tremendous asset to ue, aud only those personally connected with the work can fully realise the extent and value, of those services. If the war has done nothing else, it has shown , us tho great importance of a set of good teeth to men who are goinK to the front. I wish to personally thank the dentists for what they havo done, not only in the, camps, but also at recruiting stations. Their serviceß have been invaluable.'

"Such pronouncements as this in the Press from a. prominont puHic man cannot fail to focus on our work the searchlight of public interest, and I propose to draw to your attention today the inevitable result. In the magnificent results achieved on our Army's physique a very large share must be attributed to tho New Zealand Dental Corps. I any not in the slightest forgetting the invaluable services rendered by the members on tho civilian side,, but I desire to offer my ungrudging and sincero tribute to those- of our profession who have given, and are giving, such loyal, unceasing and arduous labour to the men- in the camps and at various points abroad who pass under their hands for treatment, and on this, point I feel confident that I express tho views of you* my. follow members. Thore may or may not havo been mistakes in connection with the work, but' now is not the time to either praise or criticise. ' '

"I have earlier referred to the fact that the work during the war will not bj. sufficiently, appraised until , after lfiany years, and tho reason for this is not far to seek. The Government, as you are aware, undertakes to provide dental treatment for returned soldiers who desire such attention, and eo a large percentage of men pass "out of the army, with their mouths—which in a .vast number of cases were, prior to their 'joining up, evil beyond conception—in an;aseptio and healthy condition. These men'were made to realise the value of' 'a clean mouth,' and just as they have, or , have not, received careful and considerate treatment at the hands of all concerned, so aro'they missionaries for good or evil. Tho former class will desire further treatment when occasion arises and will urge on their friends tho advantages gained by the caro of their mouths; while -the latter will drift along in their former haphazard, never-may-care style until, finally they possibly arrive at the doubtful blessing of full dentures. ■ ■ '"■ ' ;

"We, as an. association, have shown by statistics, and the responsible representatives of the people in power at tho present timo are thoroughly seized of the shocking- dental condition of ninety per cent, of the children of this country—a condition, it is well to interpolate, not by any mease confined to this Dominion. The dental examination of those of adult age, both' entering our military camps and rejected, for sundry reasons, apart from -their'dental!defects, 'has also proved positively that wti New Zealanders have no cause to be proud of the condition, in. which' wo keep the gateway of our alimentary canal—the most important and at the same time most dangerous source of infection— our mouths. It would be a work of supererogation for mo, in this address, to pursue further the questions arising from these conditions, and I do not intend to do bo. "One of the points which will doubtlees be made in a paper to be read at this meeting, and with which, in anticipation; I agree, will -be tho futility of treating (as wo are doing in a more or less spasmodic .way) children of school age, ■ and then' losing sight of them, possibly for all time. "Had our soldiers of to-day received dental treatment in their, progressive stages through life, what a largo sum would have been saved tho State at a time when we need all our resources."

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19170426.2.86

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3063, 26 April 1917, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
984

DENTISTRY AND WAR Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3063, 26 April 1917, Page 9

DENTISTRY AND WAR Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3063, 26 April 1917, Page 9

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