SOLDIERS' TEETH.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1915, Page 5

SOLDIERS' TEETH.

TREATMENT OF RECRUITS. 7 SCHEME IN TARANAKI. V The scheme adopted by the Defence Department for giving dental treatment to recruits rejected because of bad or insufficient teeth is now in operation in Taranaki, and in each town a member of the Dental Association lias been appointed dental recruiting officer. At New Plymouth, Mr. C. Gray has been appointed, and yesterday he gave a News representative some details of the scheme. The duty of the dental recruiting officer wil be to examine aaid chart the mouth of each recruit, and decide whether he is dentally fit or not. If not, the officer shall' allocate the reBruit with his chart direct to a member of the branch of the associaiion, who will then decide and carry out what treatment is necessary. For recruits who cannot pay for the treatment -the Defence Department will pay at hospStaJ rates, but it ha.s to be clearly understood that recruits who can pay will be required to do so. In some cases where the work to be done may take some time, treatment will be begun outside the camp and will be completed after the man is in camp. The dentists in camp will be in close touch with those in civilian practice, and the charts of the men on whom a beginning has been made outside, will be forwarded to the dentists in camp. While the matter of allocating recruits to dentists is left to the dental recruiting officer, the scheme provides that recruits may go to their own dentists.

Many men have been rejected because of unsatisfactory teeth and the introduction of this system will gain many more men for the forces. The fees received giving their services practically free, they will be materially assisting the > cause,