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be made from outside the Service. The replacement of staff losses, together with the reinforcing of clinics where the numbers under treatment now exceed the capacity of the existing staff to deal with, correspondingly reduced the number of new clinics that can be opened each year, and if any reasonable annual extension of the service, is to be aimed at it will, in my opinion, be necessary to increase the number of probationers to be trained each year, and also to reduce the age up to which children*are eligible for treatment at school dental clinics. Staff in Training.- —The staff at present numbers sixty-two, including twenty-nine probationers who have completed one year of their training, and thirty-three new appointees admitted this month. The primary examination was held in November, and was conducted by Dr. Ada Paterson, Director, Division of School Hygiene. There were twenty-nine candidates, and of these one candidate failed, while eleven passed with distinction. The senior probationers sat for their final examination in February. Of the twenty-five candidates, one was unable to take the examination on account of illness, while two failed to satisfy the examiner (Mr. K. C. Morpeth, of Wellington). The examination was of a searching nature, and included written, oral, and practical tests extending over three days. In his report Mr. Morpeth said, " The result reflects great credit on the candidates, and I desire to heartily congratulate all concerned." These twenty-two nurses a,re now available for duty, and will be stationed at clinics in the course of the next few weeks. New Clinics. —Since the 31st March, 1926, new clinics have been established at Dargaville, Ponsonby, Papakura, Te Awamutu, Dannevirke, Timaru, and Edendale North. In addition, clinics will be opened during the next few weeks at Ashburton, Feilding, Otautau, Balclutha, Grey Lynn, Cambridge, Ohakune, Tauranga, St. Albans, Dunedin, and Eltham. With the exception ofjseven, however, these will be part-time clinics only, and have been so located as to work in with and relieve the congestion at some of the older-established clinics during certain periods of the year, in addition to undertaking a limited number of new schools.« Most of the new clinics are, or will be, situated in buildings specially erected for the purpose, and the Department is in these cases able to insist upon and obtain good working-facilities. Treatment performed during 1926.—The following is a summary of the operations performed from the Ist January to the 31st December, 1926, by dental officers, dental nurses, and probationers in training : Fillings, 84,723 ; extractions, 53,232 ; minor operations, 63,047 : total operations, 201,002. Of this amount the dental nurses in the field, now standing at forty-four in number, have performed the following: Fillings, 50,375; extractions, 33,387; minor operations, 43,492 : total operations, 127,254. The total operations performed by dental nurses in the field since the first of these were placed out in May, 1923, stands at the 31st December, 1926, as follows : Fillings, 142,710 ; extractions, 98,716 ; minor operations, 106,142 : total operations, 347,568. SECTION 2.—PROPAGANDA, ETC. As in previous years, every opportunity has been taken to furthering the Department's propaganda regarding the prevention of dental disease. Displays were made at the Health Week Exhibition in Wellington and at the Child Welfare Conference in Auckland. Radio talks on dental matters have also been given. Various meetings of parents, School Committees, and other organizations have been addressed by members of my staff, while the dental nurses themselves in the course of their daily work impart to children and parents the elements of prevention. General. —My Division has been able to co-operate during the year with the officers of the Antenatal Branch. A lecture was given early in the year to the ante-natal nurses on the dental aspect of their work. More recently arrangements were made whereby a dental officer of this Division attends at the Department's ante-natal clinic, Wellington, once every fortnight to give advice and to afford any necessary treatment to expectant mothers. I am pleased to be able to say that School Medical Officers report good results, from a general health point of view, in schools where the children are receiving dental attention. During my recent visit to England and America I found considerable interest displayed in the methods adopted by the New Zealand Government in dealing with the problem of dental treatment of children, and I was asked on several occasions to address meetings on the subject. I took every opportunity of inquiring into school dental service as carried out in those countries, and after doing so I am of the opinion that none of the schemes that I investigated deals with the problem so effectively and at the same time so economically as the New Zealand scheme. Thos. A. Hunteb, Director, Division of Dental Hygiene. PART V.—NURSING. I have the honour to submit my annual report for the year ending 31st March, 1927. SECTION I.—NURSES AND MIDWIVES REGISTRATION ACT, 1925. Two examinations were held for the State registration of nurses during the year, in June and December. For these, 312 candidates presented themselves, of whom 248 were successful. From countries overseas forty-nine nurses were admitted to the register. Examinations were held in June and December, 1926, for midwives, at which there were 183 candidates, of whom 176 were successful and now registered. In addition to these, thirteen overseas midwives were registered during the year. Examinations for the State registration of maternity nurses as laid down in the provisions of the Nurses and Midwives Registration Act, 1925, were held in May, September, and December, 1926. There were sixty-six candidates, sixty being successful.

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