Dental clinic shake-up urged

Some school dentals clinics may face closure following the release of a report this week examining their role.

The report, prepared with the Ministry of Health, will be circulated to school dental health management for comment in the next two days.

It is designed to help district health boards examine the school dental clinic system and questions the appropriateness of present services. The report could lead to the closure of some clinics and a reallocation of resources to areas of most need.

Ministry advisers say patterns of tooth decay have changed greatly since school dental services were established in the 1920s and children today have much healthier teeth.

They believe some children may need to visit the dentist less often and suggest an emphasis be placed on the most at-risk groups.

The ministry's chief adviser for oral health, Clive Wright, said the key was identifying at-risk children and seeing them regularly.

The co-chairman of the School and Community Dental Services Forum, Callum Durwood, accepted some school dental clinics might close, but said services could be replaced with alternatives, such as mobile dental clinics.

- NZPA