DENTAL FITNESS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 85, 7 October 1940, Page 4

DENTAL FITNESS

REVIEW OF WORK

21,000 MEN TREATED

"To ensure that members of the 2vA N.Z.E.F. before leaving New Zealand for service overseas are rendered as physically fit as possible, it has been necessary to carry out a great amount of dental work," said the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F, Jones) on Saturday.

"Since the outbreak of war nearly 21,000 men have been rendered dentally fit, and to achieve this excellent result it has been necessary to carry out a total of 67,468 fillings and 25,092 extractions. In addition, much denture work has been required, the total number of full dentures made being 3603 and 1640 partial, while over 4300 dentures were remodelled or repaired."

The Minister said that this was a very fine effort and reflected great credit on the Director of Dental Services and those tinder his supervision and control.

"During the first few months of the war," said Mr. Jones, "civilian dental practitioners played an important part when they acted as dental members of medical boards for purposes of conducting the dental examination of recruits and in carrying out the initial dental treatment for approximately 7000 recruits. This entailed an inevitable dislocation of private practice, but the duties were carried out efficiently and with a splendid spirit of c"o-6perat.ion and self-sacrifice by the civilian practitioners, resulting in an additional dental treatment estimated at 18,000 fillings and 10,000 extractions."