DENTAL CLINIC.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5029, 20 September 1926, Page 2

DENTAL CLINIC.

CHANCE OF ONE A’l PAEROA.

SCHOOL COM 7 ATTEE ACTION,

At Saturday night’s meeting of the Paeroa Disl ,ct High School Committe a letter was received from the Department of Public Health, Division of Dental Hygiene, advising that it had been found that the dental officer, at Ngatea was now in a position to undertake the treatment of pupils in other schools in the district. If the committee was, desirous of obtaining treatment for the children attending at the Paeroa school the department wa-s prepared to establish a clinic at Paeroa provided a suitable room was available and the committee was willing to fit it up for use as a clinic. In reply to 1 Mr J. H. McDonald the headmaster (Mr G. H. Taylor) said that he could not give off-hand the number of children requiring treatment, but practicably every child required something done to the teeth. The school medical officers; had frequently reported adversely upon the condition of the children’s teeth. Some parents made an effort to give their chidren dental treatment, but in the majority of cases little or no heed was paid to their condition. Mr Taylor thought the institution of a clinic at Paeroa would be a splendid thing, and he felt sure that parents would welcome the opportunity of having their children’s teeth attended to. Tn reply to Mr W. Smith the secretary explained that treatment in the first instance was restricted to children in the primer classes attending State schools and to) children under school'age. Children once registered for treatment would remain under dental observation and continue to receive dental treatment as far as possible throughout the standards, until they passed out of the school-, ir a child transferred to a school in another district where the service had been established treatment would, as far as possible, be continued there. In cases where children over primer age were accepted as emergency cases for the relief of pain the treatment so given would not entitle the child to register at the clinic as a patient for' the purpose of receiving regular dental treatment.

Several members expressed the opinion that the service was, a splendid one, and it was desirable that the opportunity of establishing a clinic at Paeroa should be fully availed of.

After a brief discussion a committee comprising Messrs C. H. Pascoe, W. T. Power, J, H. McDonald, and the headmaster was set up to consider ways and means and arrange for a suitable room and report to a special meeting to be called.