SCHOOL SCHILDEN’S TEETH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1840, 15 June 1918, Page 3

SCHOOL SCHILDEN’S TEETH.

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION.

FROM HOSPITAL BOARD,

The Hon. J.‘ A. Ilanan, Minister for Education, arrived in Palmerston North on Thursday, and received a deputation from the District Hospital Board in regard to the inspection free and compulsory treatment, of school children’s teeth.

Mr J. K. llornbloAV presided in the absence of the chairman, Sir James Wilson.

The Mayor, Mr J. A, Nash, said that the Minister for Internal Affairs had made an offer to subsidise the Board in the establishment of a dental clinic up to a fair sum, but that his opinion had been, that it should be in the toAvn. The object of the Board avus to eater for both country and town children in regard to the care of teeth. At present the medical inspector visited the schools and made certain recommendations in regard to children’s teeth, but no notice of it Avas taken by the parents. The Board’s endeavour Avould noAV be to see these recommendations carried out, and it wished to urge its necessity upon the Minister. It had been suggested that the children of men Avho had an income of not more than £4 a Aveek should be treated free. Dr. Whitaker said that the Minister held the key for the door of infections disease. If he did not knoAV the conditions that existed in the schools, he was not very much to blame. If he did know the conditions and took no action he Avas to blame. The speaker considered that the teeth often harboured the first essentials of infectious disease. Mr HornbloAV outlined the circumstances that had led up to an interview with the Hon. G. W. Russell. The Minister for Public Health had agreed that the dental clinic should be established, but this did not provide for the out-dis-tricts. The- Board’s scheme Avas designed particularly-to deal Avith the children of parents not in receipt of more than £4 per week. The Board had asked the Minister to subsidise dentists so that children might be treated in their OAvn district. He had consented to assist and to give up to 4s per child. He was prepared to set aside £2OO for the Avork this year. The Board considered that the inspection of schools Avas a step in the right direction, but sonic of the outlying schools bad not been visited at all. They Avere also of the opinion that the care of children’s teeth should be a State undertaking, and made compulsory. In this connection the local Board had the support of a, number of other boards in this opinion. While the present scheme Avas all right so far as it Avent, it did not go far enough. The inspection must be followed up and the recommendations of the inspector carried out. At Foxton school the teeth of 133 children out of 400 had been condemned by an inspector, but only 21 of these had bad their teeth attended to subsequent ly. Mr J. J. Bryce said that the Minister should understand that the Board avus making its suggestions quite apart from the establishment of a hospital clinic. Airs Crabb pointed out that an individual inspection of all pupils was not made. Certain pupils Avere selected by the teachers for examination, and others were neglected.

Mr Pearce said that the residents of the country districts did not think tbo clinic at the hospital would meet the needs of those at some distance. Something should be done for those resident in the country.

Mrs Gill said that the children of every town and every port of the district should have art equal r-hanee of being attended to. If'only some of the children were examined, as had been staled, it was putting the onus oh the teachers, and this was not right. In every town provision should be made for the treatment of the children. The dental treatment should be made as free as the schools themselves —it should be free and compulsory. Mr Hornblow said that the Board clearly recognised the line of demarcation between the work of tho Education, Department and that of the Department of Public Health. THE MINISTER’S REPLY. The Minister, in the course of his reply, said he recognised the natitonal importance of the subject, and also recognised the first essential connected with education was good health. Since coming into office he had endeavoured to increase the number of inspectors, but there was a great shortage of medical men. He had been able to somewhat increase the staff, but not to the extent that was necessary if the whole of the ground was to be covered. He had endeavoured to fill Dr. McDonald’s place when she had resigned. He pointed out that by the work of the school nurses excellent results had been obtained from following up the nurses’ work. These nurses visited the homes, and impressed iipon parents the necessity of remedying physical defects in children. As a result, 75 per cent, of the defects in the children examined had been attended to. He was delighted beyond measure at the splendid work of these school nurses in linking up the home with the school. The object in view had been to bring the schools and the homes -closer together. Not only were the nurses doing good work in having the children attended to, but they were also doing splendid work in the homes. The doctor wpuld know the conditions that prevailed

in some of the homes, and the need there Avas for advice to improves the homes and the health of the children. Only the other day he (the speaker) had been informed of a case in Avhich a school nurse had scrubbed out the home and given the children the first hot bath they had had for three years. They had not, the Minister remarked, any school nurse in Palmerston. While speaking so much about their duty to the children, they also wanted to do something with regard to adults, so as to give them a proper conception of life and their duty. While critics referred to the education and training of the children, they should also direct attention to the education and training of others. He regretted to say the home life had decline ed in this counti’y. With the limited number of doctors, said the Minister, it was impossible to examine all the children in the schools, but they Avere doing the best that they could. In some cases the doctors examined the children in Standard 1., and then those in Standard 11., and later on others. The deputation had touched upon an important point in connection Avith this subject, and that Avas the disability the.children in the back blocks were labouring under as against those in the toAvns. He had had £I,OOO placed on the Estimates for a travelling dental clinic for the country districts, and considered that the scheme Avould work in the direction required. The trouble Avas the acute shortage of dentists; the difficulty was to get suitable men. They Avanted to get men who Avere fond of children, for as a rule dental men preferred adults as patients. They Avould lind it difficult to get suitable men AA T hen they invited applications for dentists. In Britain, United States, New South Wales, and Queensland, the medical school inspection and the dental inspection and treatment of school children avus under the Education Department, and that was the right Department for it to be under. It was a big deal to ask that free dental treatment be given for all children. It Avould involve the expenditure of a large sum of money, and the question avits Avhether they could carry it out on account of the shortage of doctors and dentists. They Avanted to give attention to the question of prevention, and to see that the children’s teeth Avere charted, and thatmeant a big order. They Avere having lectures given to the children, and were publishing articles in the School Journal, impressing on thu children the necessity for care of the teeth. More attention should be given to the use of the tooth brush, and he would like to see them have tooth brush drill. As far as possible, the inspectors Avbeu the opportunity arises, meet parents and impress on them the necessity of correct diet and attention to the. health of (lie children. The Department Avas doing Avhat it could Avilh the facilities at. its disposal. Ho realised that the health and physical development of the young people Avas of vital importance, and that they should do all that they possibly could to ensure that the children would be healthy, lie did not think, however, that at the present time Cabinet would provide tbo money to give effect fo the Avishes of the deputation. They had many, and) increasing demands, and (n meet all the demands made on the Department Avould mean an extra million of money for educational purposes. He Avanted them to bear in mind that there Avere eleven Ministers in Cabinet besides (he Minister for Education, and the minds of Ministers at present- Avere concen-, trated mi (be subject of Avinning the Avar. He had some proposals Ip submit to Cabinet with regard to children’s treatment, and Avhile they did not go so far as the deputation asked, they Avere a step in the rightdirection. In Sydney there was a dental clinic under (lie Education Department, and they bad travelling dent ill clinics. His oavh opinion Avas that when (ho means Avore available the Education Department should take the matter in hand. They wanted the boys and girls to pome to school in good health, and then there Avas a better chance of properly educating them. He hoped that Cabinet would come to the conclusion that this subject cannot be ignored in the interests of the men and Avomen of the future, and in the interests of their Empire, Avhich becomes greater and grander as time goes on.

The Minister was, thanked by the members of the deputation for the attention he had given to their representations, and on Mr Hornblow’s motion was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.