DENTAL SERVICE FOR RECRUITS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 April 1916, Page 2

DENTAL SERVICE FOR RECRUITS.

THE ARRANGEMENTS EXPLAINED. (Otago Daily Times). A certain amount of misconception appears to exist at present, both on the part of the general public and amongst recruits, as to the nature of the services at present being rendered by the members of the New Zealand Dental Association in treating the teeth of recruits. As far back as June last the Association recognised the difficulties ahead' in respect of providing adequate dental treatment for men volunteering for active service, and made a patriotic offer to the Government. It was not, however, until November that that offer was accepted. The offer made, and eventually accepted, was this: That, in order that no man should be able to say that be could not go to the front because he could not afford to get his teeth attended to, the Association undertook to treat all such men free of charge, provided the Government reimbursed members for the cost of the material used in treatment. The members of the Dental Association have never asked the Government to pay for their time and skill, and hence, for several difficult operations, which involve no expenditure of material, no remuneration whatever is made by the Government. Every recruit seen under this arrangement means a financial loss to members of the Dental Association, but they are undertaking this work cheerfully as their patriotic war contribution. It has been described as "the biggest organised patriotic contribution made to the war yet by any section of the community in this country." Members of the Dental Association have the g atisfaction of knowing that they have contributed to making men fitter to fight the enemy, and that their work is enabling men to remain in the trenches for weeks longer than they otherwise would. In spite of this, however, there exists a feeling that all intending recruits should be treated gratuitously. This obviously would not be fair under the present purely patriotic arrangement—dentists would have no time to see their own patients, and would soon be bankrupt. If rich and poor recruits are all to be treated alike it is a matter for the Government to take up and arrange. There are at present, roughly, 400 dentists in New Zealand giving their services patriotically in this manner, and to suggest that they should do more, when they have already done, and are doing so much is hardly fair. It is difficult to arrive at an estimate of the exact monetary value of the Dental Association's gratuitous services, but at the very least it must amount to over £2OOO per week in New Zealand.