DENTAL CLINIC

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 October 1940, Page 4

DENTAL CLINIC

REORGANISATION PROPOSALS IN MASTERTON PROBLEMS REQUIRING SOLUTION. CONCERTED MOVE SOUGHT. A circular has been despatched to all school committees in the Masterton Dental Clinic area by Mr A. D. Brice, senior dental officer for the Wellington district, drawing attention to the endeavour being made to reorganise the Masterton Dental Clinic Committee and to the meeting of delegates to be held in the Lansdowne School on October 14 at 7.45 p.m. The circular proceeds: —“In view of the forthcoming meeting, the Department desires to bring to the notice of your committee the following points regarding the School Dental Service, more particularly as they affect the Masterton area:— • “A Dental Clinic Committee is comprised particularly of delegates from the contributing school committees, in other words, the functions of the Dental Clinic Committee are the direct concern of each of the school committees. “The responsibilities of the Dental Clinic Committee (or of, the contributing school committees) do not end with the collection of the moneys paid to the Department, or expended locally in the maintenance of the clinic. They are in fact much wider. It is the Department’s desire that the Dental Clinic Committee, and through it, the individual school committees, should take an active part in the control of the clinic, more especially in connection with the educational aspect of this work. “The full value of the work of the School Dental Service cannot be realised unless most of the parents are actively interested and willing to co-op-erate to the fullest possible extent. The Department feels that it is principally through the school committees who represent the parents, that such co-oper-ation can be obtained. The chief problems at present requiring solution in the Masterton area are: — “(1) To obtain an increase in the proportion of children taking advantage of the service; L “(2) To obtain a great increase in thg number of parents actively interestedin the prevention of dental disease; "(3) To bring about the ultimate establishment of treatment centres at several of the larger schools in place of the existing arrangement. This will have the effect of bringing the service nearer to the people with whom it is most concerned, and will in itself, be a powerful factor in solving the above questions. “The Masterton District is at present inclined to lag behind the rest of the Dominion in respect of these matters and the Department cordially invites the co-operation of your committee in the task of improving the present situation, which it feels is a matter for deep local concern. The past assistance given by the members of your committee is gratefully acknowledged.”