DENTAL TREATMENT OF CHILDREN.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 June 1918, Page 7

DENTAL TREATMENT OF CHILDREN.

COMPULSORY TREATMENT URGED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Board passed a resolution urging legislation that dental treatment of State school children should be made compulsory, and free in cases where parents were not iii receipt of more than £4 per week, contingent upon the State bearing the cost. ACTION OF STRATFORD HOSPITAL BOARD. A special meeting of the Hospital Board was held on Wednesday to consider reports from special committees Bet up to consider free dental treatment of children and extensions to the hospital building. The Committee on the question of dental treatment (the chairman and Mr R. McK. Morison) reported that they had interviewed the local dentists (Messrs Hunter, Lyons, and Lonergan) and invited them to make suggestions or give the Board any advice that would help towards the solution of the problem. Mr Lyons stated that it would be quite impossible for the local dentists to meet the Board in any way, and that treatment given would (on account of the greatly increased prices of material and the pressure of work) only be done at the ordinary rates. Further, the £IOO proposed to be spent by the Board as a beginning would only pay for the treatment of about fifty children. The only suggestion the dentists had to offer was that the Board should advise the Minister to consult the Dental Association. Both Mr Hunter and Mr Lonergan endorsed what had been said. The committee, therefore, recommended that the position be placed before the Minister and he asked to sanction the appointment of a dentist if one could be procured, the whole of his time to be given to attending to the dental needs of the school children of the hospital district, the subsidy to be at the rate offered by the Minister, namely, 75 per cent.

In moving the adoption of the report, the Chairman said the suggestion appeared to him to be the only solution of the trouble. If they -were going to meet the problem they would have to be thorough. The difficulty at this particular time was to get a dentist, but he was sure —and it seemed i*> be the opinion of the local dentist—that there were men filling in time at tho ■ camps who could be well spared by the Government.

A member: I quite believe that. Mr S(!lc, in seconding, said there were a number of dentists returning with hospital ships from time to time, and wero absorbed into the camps. The fact that they were not fully occupied should be brought under the Minister's notice. If the Board could benefit the children, he thought it should do ?o. Mr Morison said he was quite sure there was no hope of local dentists doing the work. He was of opinion that tho matter should be pressed as far as possible Mr Mackay said it was astounding, when reading reports of the dental examination carried out in schools, to find the number of children with defective teeth. He thought the matter should be got under way as soon as possible.

The Chairman said the scheme, would not be satisfactory if any differentiation was made regarding the incomes of parents. It would label the scheme as a- Charitable Aid institution which would ruin It. If it was going to be a thorough success, he thought it should be general, without respect to the parents. On being put, the motion wa3 carried unanimously.

The report pf the committee get up to consider the question of extensions and improvements to hospital buildings was taken in committee. When the Board resumed, it was reported that it' had been resolved that the report, plans and estimates be. adopted \yith the addition of the maternity wart], improvements tq paths and roadway, arid further accommodation for' nurses. Tills will he further considered at the nex* meeting of the Board.—Post.