SCHOOL DENTAL WORK,

Taranaki Daily News, 20 June 1922, Page 2

SCHOOL DENTAL WORK,

DEPARTMENT’S POLICY. CONCENTRATING ON PRIMERS. * I The policy being followed in connection with the dental treatment of school children is discussed by Dr. Thomas A. Hunter, director of the division of dental hygiene of the Department of Health in a letter to Dr. H. A. B. Davies, school medical officer, of Auckland. "The policy is, as far as possible, a preventive one,” he says. "In an. endeavor to make headway with so little service we will have at our disposal for many years to come, it was decided to epneentrate on, and follow up, the children of the primer classes until 7 they’ leave school. By this plan it will be possible to get a school dentally clean in a shorter time than by any other method. In the meantime parents will be expected to continue their responsibilities in this direction and the private practitioner and dental departments at public hospitals, utilised to the same extent as before its inauguration.” Alluding to the objection to the school service making extractions of teeth for the older pupils, he says: a ln -face of the difficulties with which we have to contend, our plan undoubtedly makes for the older pupils, he says: “In face of the difficulties with which we have to contend our plan undoubtedly makes for the greatest good for the greater number and just in so far as our officers depart from it, so will our object be delayed. Ail authorities writing on the subject are ' convinced that this is the only possible way to deal with the question with any chance of success. Of course, it. is expected that all dental officers will have sufficient common sjen'se not to refuse treatment for the relief of pain. If extractions for the older children were undertaken it is obvious that much less time could be given to making teeth functional, and many that are now being saved would go to swell the appalling number of septic teeth • among school children. There is anothei - point that does not a fleet our policy, but may affect the usefulness of the service, and that is the possibility of the service being regarded as destructive, rather than conservative, even now our list of extractions is necessarily extremely high.”