DENTISTS IN SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1920, Page 5

DENTISTS IN SCHOOLS.

MINISTER'S SCHEME OPPOSED. NORTH CANTERBURY DECISION. By Telegraph.—Press Association Chriatehurch, Last Night. The North Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Dental Association is opposed to the Minister of Education's scheme for employing women in connection with the school dental service. It is pointed out that the vote of the executive of the Association does not represent the views of the bulk of the profession, as previous to the meeting eleven branches condemned the scheme and four expressed themselves in favor of the scheme, the membership of the branches mentioned being 350 and 30 respectively. Under the Minister's proposal it will be eighteen months to two years before women are ready to take up the work, and in that time 30 of the students at present at the Otago Universrty will have qualified as dental surgeons. It is, therefore, for the public to say whether the dental treatment of their children is to be entrusted to properly qualified dental surgeons or partly trained persons who cannot have either skill or judgment, and whose work can only reflect their training. PROTEST FROM DUNEDIN. "DEGRADING THE PROFESSION." Dunedin, Last Night. At a meeting of the committee of the Otago branch of the New Zealand Dental Association, the following motion was carried: — , ''That this branch strongly disapproves of the Government proposal to employ partially trained women in the State dental services. The members support the contentions of the Wangamti branch that the meeting of the executive in Wellington did not represent the opinions of the members of the New Zealand Dental Association. "Further, tile members believe tb.it the employment of such women would be false economy for the Government, in that they necessarily could not render efficient service, and it would also be disastrous for the school children. Moreover, it would lo\ver the standard of dentistry in New Zealand "and degrade the profession for all time. The dentists ot New Zealand backed the Government in war time and assisted in the treatment of recruits to the utmost of their ability, and they do not now expect their opinions and wishes to be turned down by the Government."