DENTAL ASSOCIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 May 1921, Page 2

DENTAL ASSOCIATION.

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington,.May 21. The fourteenth annual meeting of the New Zealand Dental , Association has just concluded. During the course of the four days’ sitting many important subjects were discussed by the 60 representatives present, and a number of valuable clinical demonstrations given, illustrating some of the latest developments in dental science. The president, Mr. Nelson Mitchell, Auckland, in his address, said the association must aim to reach the goal of reducing dental diseases to a negligible quantity, if not of eradicating them altogether. The association had been successful in establishing four dental hospitals in the large centres for the benefit of those unable to pay for private treatment. These institutions were accomplishing a great deal of good, but were quite unable to cope with the great mass of treatment required. He referred to the establishment of dental bursaries and the compulsory dental treatment of school children, and said that in future the watchword of dentists must be prevention. They must keep in touch with every branch of research along those lines and see that knowledge was imparted to the mothers and children of the coming generation.

The annual report referred to the successful launching of the school dental scheme under the able management of Dr. T. A. Hunter as the most important dental event in the year. The recent newspaper controversy over the school dental service was discussed, and it was resolved to deprecate the discussion of matters of dental policy in the public Press, and to take steps to prevent its recurrence. It was mentioned that 23 new students had entered the dental school this yeaf, but only five bursaries had been taken up, and the executive council is to advise the authorities regarding the numbers of fresh dentists required annually to maintain the supply. Mr. O. V. Davis (Otago Dental College) was elected vice-president and president-elect Dr. E. L. Rentor (Auckland); chairman of executive, Mr. Claude H. Moses was re-appointed hon. secretary, and Mr. B. S. Finn (Auckland) , hon. treasurer. It was resolved to try to arrange the next annual meeting at Nelson.