SOLDIERS' TEETH.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 329, 6 November 1915, Page 3

SOLDIERS' TEETH.

TREATMENT OF RECRUITS. A SCHEME ESTABLISHED. A scheme has been finally adopted by the Defence Department for giving dental' treatment to recruits rejected in the medical examination because of bad or insufficient teeth. *The Minister for Defence had a conference oo Tuesday afternoon with Professor Pickerill, head of the Dents School in the Otago University, and Mr. Hunter, of Dunedin, representing the New Zealand Dental Association The Government have decided to utilise the services of the Dental Association, members of which are willing to assist the Defence Department, in the first instance in the examination of recruits. After a medical officer has examined a man he will be handed over to a dentist, who will, examine his mouth and decide whether his teeth are good enough, or whether they can be fixed up well enough to provide for efficient mastication. Those men whose teeth require attention will be sent to members of the Dental Association for treatment, and a rota of these practitioners will be arranged so that no one man will get an unfair proportion of these soldier patients. If a man is in a position to pay for his own teeth he will have to pay. If it can be shown that he is not in a position to pay, then the Defence Department wil pay for him. In some cases where tin work to be done may take some time treatment will be begun outside the

camp and be completed after tin «:-• is in camp. The dentists in camp will be in. close touch with those in civilian practice, and the charts of the men or whom a beginning has been made outside will be forwarded to the dentists in the camp. Additional accommodation for dentists is being provided at Trentham and Featherston, and instead of one dentitst at each camp as now, there will be in each place three fully qualified officers and one dental mechanic with the rank of sergeant. Tliq Minister for Defence stated that when the scheme was in full operationo there would be a New Zealand Army Dental' Service. This had already been approved. Under the scheme men who came into town from the country to enlist, and who were found to need dental treatment, would be treated. If they wanted work in the meantime, the PubMe Works Department and the Labour Department would do thoir best to find work for them.