CHILDREN'S TEETH.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1920, Page 6

CHILDREN'S TEETH.

THE SCHOOL POLICY. ' A statement regarding the medical and dental examination and treatment of school children was made on Tuesday by the Minister of Education (/the Hon. C. J. Parr) It was estimated, said the Minister, that about seventy-five per cent, of the cases for treatment were found by the supervising nurses who watched them to be attended to by the parents. In these cases the children received medical and dental treatment. , This might be considered a good result, but the position would not be satisfactory until all the children found with defects received attention. Obviously ' until there was a thorough system of inspection it was no use for the Department to undertake directly the treatment of tlie children. The inspection must first made perfect. The oilier might then follw later. In the meantime lie desired to thank those hospital boards' in different, parts of New Zealand which , had undertaken to give free treatment to school children under the Department's form of notification of defects. ■ Among these were the Whangarei and Bay of Islands, and further south the Napier and Gisborne hospital boards. The facilities such as these boards offered for treatment helped' very greatly to make effective the medical inspection. He was hopeful that as Minister of Public Health he might he able to induce other hospital boards to adopt the same course.