N e w s of D en tistry
Association Affairs IN S U R A N C E PLAN E N R O L L M E N T E X T E N D E D T O S E P T E M B E R 15
3;
New
Hampshire,
short
7;
Kansas,
short 10; West Virginia, short 11, and Connecticut, short 18. Societies which had reached their
Extension to September 15 of the enroll ment period for the Association’s insur ance program was announced July 15 by Paul Zillmann, insurance trustee. The extension was made because the program
quotas were Alabama, Arizona, Dela ware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky,
is less than 1,000 short of the number needed to permit the coverage of im paired risks throughout the nation. A n average of 25 additional applications from each state dental society is needed
setts, Mississippi, M ontana, N ew Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, V ir
Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachu
ginia and Wyoming. Previously covered by the same insurance company are Cali fornia, New Jersey, New York, Nevada
to put the program in full operation. Dr. Zillmann reported that as of June 30, 28 constituent societies had met their
and Utah. Application blanks for the insurance program may be obtained from M . A. Gesner, Inc., 150 E. Superior St., Chi
quotas, thus making eligible the m em bers within their states regardless of pre vious medical histories. In these socie ties, all additional members who apply for insurance, including the impaired risks, will be counted towards the national
cago 11.
quota. T h e Association plan insures the den tist against disability and inability to prac tice, as well as against accidental death or injury. Because of the group buying power of the Association, the insurance
A panel discussion on the dentist’s re sponsibility in atomic bomb disaster will be a feature of the conference of state so ciety officers scheduled for November 7 at the Biscayne Terrace Hotel in Miam i, Fla. The conference will precede by one
protection is available at a cost of from 35 to 50 per cent less than that of any comparable insurance secured on an in
day the Association’s 95th annual session. Moderating the discussion will be John R . Abel, chairman of the committee on
dividual basis. Dentists up to age 70 may apply, and
civil defense of the Association. Partici pants will be Gerald M . McDonnel, M .D ., of the radiology service at Walter
S T A T E S O C IE T Y O F F IC E R S T O M E E T IN M IA M I
the insurance remains in effect for those dentists who continue practicing regard less of
age.
If
the national quota
Reed Hospital; Russell W . Sumnicht of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Frank B. Berry, M .D ., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health and Medical A f fairs.
is
reached, dentists with poor medical his tories will receive a maximum coverage of $200 a month. Applicants with poor medical histories within a given state
The state society officers will discuss the operation of Association programs at the state level and the question of what
are covered if half of the state society membership file applications. Several societies are only a few short
constituent societies should do about Association student members. In addi
of their quota. These are Vermont, short 235
236 • T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
tion, the conferees will hear from John E. Fauber, chief of dental services of the Veterans Administration, on the out
Am ong the smaller societies Alaska led
patient dental program of the V A . The conference will be presided over by Bernard N. Walker, Conference presi
of its goal. Only ten societies contributed less than 90 per cent of quota.
dent, and president of the North Carolina Dental Society. Other participants in the program will be announced at a later date.
with 453 per cent. Tennessee led the larger societies, turning in 301.6 per cent
A P T IT U D E T E S T A P P L IC A T IO N S D U E BY SE P T E M B E R 17
The first dental aptitude testing session for applicants to the 1955 freshman den tal school classes will be held October 1 and 2, and completed application forms
A .D .A . M E M B E R S H IP 80,691, T O P S 1953 R E C O R D
Membership in the American Dental A s sociation continued its upward climb to reach a new high on June 30 with a record of 80,691 members. T h e June total was 564 higher than the 1953 yearend figure. The 1953 figure was higher than that for the year before.
must be submitted to the Division of Edu cational Measurements before Septem ber 17, the Council on Dental Education announced recently. Application blanks are obtained from any of the dental schools and from the Division of Educa tional Measurements in the Association’ s Central Office.
Included in the June 30 total were 67,447 active members, 3,370 life mem bers and 9,679 student members, all to tals higher than the 1953 totals. Largest increases in active membership were reg istered in California, Southern Califor nia, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Navy.
Texas,
Wisconsin
and
the
R E L IE F F U N D R E A C H E S R E C O R D H IG H O F $105,996
A total of $105,996 had been contributed to the 1953-54 Association Relief Fund as the campaign closed July 1. The total set a new record and marked the second consecutive year that the $100,000 goal was surpassed. The Council on Relief announced that 39 societies had topped the 100 per cent mark and that five so cieties, Alaska, Tennessee, Alabam a, the District of Columbia and Idaho, had more than doubled their quota. The smaller societies did better on a per capita basis than the larger ones, contributing 122 per cent of quota to the 102.8 per cent of the larger groups.
SE N A T E C O M M IT T E E E X C L U D E S D E N T IS T S F R O M O A S I
O n July 19, the Senate Finance C om mittee voted to exclude dentists and other self-employed groups from Social Se curity coverage. This was a change from the action of July 13, at which time the Committee had decided to place cover age of self-employed groups on an elec tive basis. Spokesmen for the Committee said the change was made because of doubt as to whether the voluntary system could be administered. The July 19 de cision is in line with Association recom mendations. Association views against inclusion of dentists had been presented earlier to both House and Senate com mittees by J. Claude Earnest and E. Harold Gale, of the Council on Legisla tion. (For testimony see page 225.) Health legislation passed by both houses and signed by the President in cluded the “ Little Hill-Burton Bill” and appropriations for the United States Pub lic Health Service. Included in the U SP H S budget is $1,990,000 for dental
N E W S O F DENTISTRY . . . V O L U M E 4?, A U G U ST 1954 • 237
activities, an increase of $250,000 over the last budget. T h e expanded
Hill-Burton
hospital
construction program authorizes a three year federal-state program to build chronic disease hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and medical and dental diagnostic and treatment centers. In line with a suggestion made by the Association, the wording of the original bill was changed to insure the inclusion of dental facilities in the definition of diagnostic and treatment centers. T h e Administration asked for $37,400,000 for the first year of the new law’s operation, but the House Appropriations Com m it tee July 16 approved only 2 million dol lars. The President signed into law also the Veterans Administration budget, which contains $11,200,000 for fee-basis, out patient dental care. Attached to the bill is a rider which provides that veterans must apply for care within one year after service discharge or by the end of 1954, whichever date is later. In addition, treatment is limited to a single series for a proved service-connected disability. A new bill, H .R . 9866, which would make these limitations permanent, was being studied at presstime by the House V e t erans Affairs Committee. T h e only group
to kill it. The Senate version, however, was reported out of committee to the full Senate. Reported favorably by the Senate Fi nance Committee was a bill to extend the unemployment insurance system to em ployers of four or more persons. The bill was passed previously by the House.
B U R E A U PRE PARES “ F A C T S AND FAB LES” T V S C R IP T
“ Facts and Fables about Dental Health,” a 15-minute television script prepared by the Bureau of Public Information, may now be obtained from the Bureau by constituent and component societies. The script features four local dentists who tell the public in simple language some of the fables and some of the facts of dental health. The dentists deal with such mistaken ideas as the old wives’ tale that for every pregnancy the mother loses one tooth, and the false belief that the care of decidu ous teeth is unimportant. They explain the importance of diet to dental health, the basic rules of oral hygiene and the value of fluoridation.
of veterans exempted from the restric tions of the rider are the Spanish W ar
T R O U B L E S O M E T E R M S T O BE S E P TE M B E R W O R K S H O P T O P IC
veterans. O n July 15, the President signed H .R . 6412 to exempt them from the eligibility restrictions.
The nomenclature conference sponsored by the Bureau of Library and Indexing Service of the Association, scheduled for September 3 and 4, will deal with terms in the dental vocabulary which have given the dentist trouble over a period of years. Several workshop committees will study these terms under the leadership of well-known dental scientists in various
The amendment to the doctor-draft law, permitting the utilization in a pro fessional capacity— but as enlisted men — those physicians and dentists who do not qualify for commissions, also cleared the W hite House desk. A t presstime a House-Senate conference committee was studying H .R . 303, which would transfer the Indian Health Service from the D e partment of Interior to the U SPH S. The health reinsurance plan was re turned to committee by the House of Representatives July 13, a move designed
fields. Kenneth A . Easlick of the University of Michigan will direct the review of terms used to designate the various branches and specialties of dentistry. H ar ry Sicher, representing the fields of anat omy and physiology, will lead the attempt
238 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
to harmonize the terminology of den tistry with that of comparative anatomy and anthropology. Thomas D . Speidel will direct the committee considering some uncertain terms regarding occlu sion and malocclusion. The committees dealing with prosthodontics will attempt to untangle some of the difficulties of definition and language usage in bridgework and complete den tures. Chairmen will be Stanley D . Tylman of the University of Illinois and Carl O . Boucher of Ohio State University. Problems concerning caries terminology will be discussed by a committee of which Gerald J. Cox of the University of Pitts burgh will be chairman, and problems of periodontal and other pathological ter minology will fall to a committee headed by Frank J. Orland of Zoller Memorial Clinic. The conference will be conducted by George B. Denton, research consultant of the Association. Persons interested in par ticipating in this conference may write to Donald Washburn, director of the Bureau of Library and Indexing Serv ice, at the Central Office.
C O U N C IL A SSIS T S G O V E R N M E N T IN C O L L E C T IO N O F D A T A
The Council on Dental Education will assist the National Health Resources A d visory Committee of the Office of Defense Mobilization in the collection of data about dental school faculty members. The information will enable the Office of Defense Mobilization to judge the needs of the dental schools for faculty personnel and to determine the essen tiality for deferment of individual faculty members. In addition, the information will help the Council maintain an up-todate record of the faculty members in the various schools. It was reported that nearly all of the dental school deans have expressed in terest in receiving the results of a survey
conducted by the Council to determine the cost to the dental student and student dental hygienist of dental education. The survey, which is being conducted with the assistance of the United States Public Health Service, will be of assistance to the various agencies which are concerned with the granting of scholarships and fellowships.
T R E N D L E Y D E A N A P P O IN T E D T O N A T IO N A L R E S E A R C H C O U N C IL
H. Trendley Dean, secretary of the Coun cil on Dental Research, has been ap pointed a member of the National R e search Council to represent the American Dental Association in the Division of M edical Sciences for a three year period which began July 1. H e succeeds Paul C. Kitchin. A former director of the National In stitute of Dental Research of the U SP H S, Dr. Dean is credited with directing most of the U S P H S basic research on fluorida tion. Recently he was among scientists who testified against the W ier antifluori dation bill before the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. D r. Dean has received many honors, including the Gorgas Medal and Award of the Association of Military Surgeons, the John M . Goodell Prize of the Ameri can W ater Works Association, the Jarvie Fellowship M edal of the Dental Society of the State of New York and the Lasker Aw ard of the American Public Health Association.
C U B A N D E N T IS T S PL A N T O U R F O R A .D .A . M IA M I D E L E G A T E S
A n invitation to Association delegates to visit Havana, Cuba, has been issued by the Colegio Estomatologico Nacional. T h e Cuban Dental Society has planned a tour of Havana from November 12-16, to follow the Association’ s 95th annual ses sion in Miami. The tour will coincide
wms
A to u r o f Vizca ya , the J a m e s D e e r in g estate, will take p la c e d u r in g the A s s o c ia t io n 's 95th an n u a l session sch e d u le d fo r N o v e m b e r 8-11 in M ia m i, Fla. T he 69room 16th ce n tu ry p a la c e is filled with E u ro p e a n art tre asu re s a n d is su rro u n d e d b y 30 a cre s of g a r d e n and w o o d la n d .
240 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
with the opening session of the fourth national convention of the Cuban group, and Association members are welcome to attend the convention as well. Reserva tions for housing in Cuba may be made to Antonio Montero, Housing Bureau, Colegio Estomatológico Nacional, Edi ficio Retiro Odontológico, Vedado, H a bana, Cuba.
D E N T IS T R Y C O N S U L T A N T S A P P O IN T E D F O R T A S K F O R C E
Three Association members have been appointed special consultants to the med ical services task force of the Hoover Commission on Governmental Reorgani zation. They are Rudolph H . Friedrich, chairman of the Council on Federal Den tal Services; Leo J. Schoeny, dentist member of the Health Resources A d visory Committee of the Office of D e fense Mobilization, and James P. H o l lers, alternate member of the Advisory Council to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health and Medical Affairs. Appointed staff consultants were Francis J. Garvey, secretary of the Association Council on Legislation and Bernard J. Conway, secretary of the Council on Federal Dental Services. The consultants held their first meet ing early in July in Washington under the chairmanship of O tto W . Brandhorst, member of the task force and immediate past president of the A .D .A . A second meeting was held July 22 in Chicago.
The recommendation that a 6 by 9 inch page size be adopted was made on the grounds that national advertising could be attracted more readily if the adver tiser could use the same advertising plate size for all journals. T h e joint purchase of paper might result in cutting costs for the state journals, conferees stated, as large purchases would make possible or dering directly from the paper mill. The conference was attended by 44 persons, representing 32 journals, of which 23 were state society journals, 6 were national journals and 3 were com ponent society journals. In addition 6 members of the Council on Journalism and 2 officers of the American Associa tion of Dental Editors attended. William L. Barnum, chairman of the Council on Journalism, and Walter C. McBride, president of the American As sociation of Dental Editors, presided at the conference.
PAM PH LET PREPARED ON C A R E O F C H IL D R E N ’ S T E E T H
A revision of the pamphlet Th e Care of Children’s Teeth, written in question and answer form, has been prepared by the Division of Dental Health Education. The pamphlet discusses the child’s first visit to the dentist, the importance of dental care to deciduous teeth, dental health habits, diet and nutrition. Sample copies may be obtained free of charge from the Division of Dental Health Edu cation at the Central Office.
S T A N D A R D IZ A T IO N O F J O U R N A L SIZ E U R G E D BY C O N F E R E N C E
C A N A D IA N C O U N C IL A P P R O V E S U.S. D E N T A L H Y G IE N E P R O G R A M S
A recommendation that state societies attempt to standardize the page size of their journals and a request to the Coun cil on Journalism to investigate the pos sibilities of joint purchase of paper were
The Council on Dental Education of the
made at the third Conference on Dental Journalism held June 18-19 in Chicago.
proved by the A .D .A . Council on D en tal Education. The Canadian Council
Canadian Dental Association at a meet ing June 21 in Toronto officially ap proved the dental hygiene programs in the United States which have been ap
N E W S O F DENTISTRY . . . V O L U M E 49, A U G U S T 1954 • 241
already approves all the dental schools in the United States accepted by the A.D.A. In evaluating Canadian schools, the Canadian council makes use of require ments and standards similar to thoseused by the A.D.A. Council. Members of the Canadian group have been invited to accompany the A.D.A. visiting commit teeswhich evaluatethedental school pro grams in the United States. Attending theJune meetingwere deans of the Canadian dental schools, mem bers of the Canadian Dental Education Council and the Canadian Dental Asso ciation. Shailer Peterson, secretary of the A.D.A. Council onDental Education, also attended. SU SA N YOUNG JO IN S C E N TRA L O FFICE STA FF
Miss Susan Young joined the Central Office staff as assistant librarian in the Bureau of Library and Indexing Service in July. Miss Young received her B.A. degree from the University of British Co lumbia and her B.L.S. degree from the University of Toronto. She will receive her M.A. fromthe University of Chicago this month. Miss Young has had previous library experience at the public libraries in Toronto and Windsor, Ontario. She prepared the Association’s Digest of Official Actions this year under the direction of Donald A. Washburn, direc tor of the Bureau of Library and Index ing Service, whom she will assist in her new position.
freight cars of material for Korea, Leslie M. FitzGerald, Association president, asked all constituent and component den tal societies to gather dental items of all types for the National Seoul University College of Dentistry, in Korea. Thou sands of burs, forceps, dental books, den tal units and chairs, impression materials and anesthetics have been collected. Assisting Dr. FitzGerald as members of a national dental committee in the campaign are: Daniel F. Lynch, A.D.A. president-elect; Leo J. Schoeny, dentist member of the Health ResourcesAdvisory Committee of the Office of Defense Mo bilization, and themembers of the A.D.A. Council on International Relations, in cluding Oren A. Oliver, chairman, LeRoy M. Ennis, H. M. Flickinger, Obed H. Moen and John A. O’Keefe. Dental Societies INDIANA SO C IE T Y E M PLO Y S AN E X E C U T IV E SE C R E T A R Y
The Indiana State Dental Association established a central office in Indianapo lis July 1 and appointed as the Associa tion’s first executive secretary Broderick H. Johnson of East Lansing, Mich. Mr. Johnson formerly was director of public relations for the Kellogg Center for Con tinuing Education. His experience in public relations, teaching and journalism makes him par-
D E N T IST S C O L L E C T S U P P L IE S FO R KO REA SCH O O L
Hundreds of boxes of dental supplies and equipment have been collected by Asso ciation members for shipment to their colleagues in Korea in connection with the Help Korea Train Campaign. As the dental profession’s part in a nationwide campaign to collect 1,000
B. H . J o h n so n
242 • T H E J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
ticularly well fitted for the new position, stated W . N . Kelly, Association president. M r. Johnson formerly served on the teaching staff at the University of W is consin School of Journalism and also on the faculty of the William Allen W hite School of Journalism and Communica tion at the University of Kansas. He held an assistant professorship at Syra cuse University and served as acting dean of the Syracuse School of Journalism. M r. Johnson has a B .A . degree from Grove City College in Pennsylvania and his M .A . from the University of W is consin.
W A L T E R T . N E W T O N D IE S, P A S T P R E S ID E N T O F T E X A S S O C IE T Y
W alter T . Newton, a past president of the Texas Dental Association, died in Paris, France, July 9. H e was 58 years old. Dr. Newton was graduated from the Texas Dental College in 1918. H e prac
ticed dentistry in Richmond, Texas, after graduation and moved to Houston in 1920 where he practiced until his death. Dr. Newton was a past president of the Houston District Dental Society. H e was a member of the Academy of R e storative Dentistry and a director of the Harris County Historical Society. Sur viving are two nephews, E. P. Newton, Jr., William Austin Newton, and a niece, Marguerite Dell Newton.
S O C IE T Y T O H O N O R M Y R O N A ISE N B E R G
Myron S. Aisenberg, recently appointed dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery at the University of Maryland, will be honored at a testimonial dinner to be given by the New Britain, Conn., Dental Society October 13. Dr. Aisen berg is a native of N ew Britain and formerly practiced there.
Dental Education D E N TA L SCH OOLS OFFER PO ST G R A D U A TE COURSES
Iow a • A postgraduate course in oral surgery is being offered by the dental school of the State University of Iowa, September 24 and 25. The course will be
staff. Problems of occlusion in periodon tics will be discussed October 21-23 and theory and practice of periodontics Jan uary 20-22, 1955. The school announces also a course in oral surgery October 11-16. Students will perform various types of operations
directed by Merle L. Hale, head of the department of oral surgery and anesthe sia. Philip Earle Williams of the Ameri
on cadavers, including open and closed reduction of mandibular fractures, par tial resection of the mandible with bone
can Board of Oral Surgery will be guest lecturer. Advance registration should be sent to William D . Coder, Extension D i vision, State University of Iowa, Iowa City.
grafting and resection of the maxilla for tumors. Attendance is limited to six. Only practicing oral surgeons will be accepted.
Loyola • Tw o postgraduate courses in periodontics will be offered at Loyola University School of Dentistry (Chicago) under the direction of Balint Orban and
Further information may be obtained from the school at 1757 W . Harrison St., Chicago 12. Minnesota • The University of Minnesota announces that the ninth annual seminar for the study and practice of oral medi
N E W S O F DENTISTRY . . . V O L U M E 49, A U G U S T 1954 • 243
T he Ea st U n it o f the D e n tistryM e d ic in e - P h a rm a c y B u ild in g ( r ig h t ) , U n iv e rsity o f Illinois, is e x p e c te d to b e re a d y fo r the 1954 fall q u a rte r. A t Lom a Lin da, Calif., the C o l le g e o f M e d ic a l E v a n g e l ists will h a ve a new d e n tistry b u ild in g (le ft). Bel ow r ig h t is the M e d ical S c ie n c e s Bu ild in g, U n iv e rsity o f C a lifo r n ia , San F rancisco, future h o m e o f the C o lle g e o f D entistry.
cine will be held September 24 and 25 at the Center for Continuation Study on the campus in Minneapolis. The one and a half day program will be devoted to problems of oral diagnosis. Essayists on the program will be: Balint Orban, Lee Roy M ain, Harry Sicher, Floyd A . Pey ton and Alton K . Fisher. Tem ple • A postgraduate course in or thodontics available only to practicing orthodontists will be given by Temple University for two weeks beginning Jan uary 23, 1955. Tuition is $200 exclusive of instruments and books. Application may be made to the direc tor of postgraduate studies, Tem ple U n i versity School of Dentistry, Philadelphia.
ber 13-15; dental radiology, November 29 to December 3 ; periodontics, January 17-21, 1955; endodontics, M arch 7-11, 1955; orthodontics for the general prac titioner, M arch 28-April 1, 1955; perio dontics, April 25-29, and dental oral surgery and anesthesia, M a y 2-6, 1955. Information on enrollment may be ob tained from the dean, Faculty of D en tistry, University of Toronto, Toronto 2-B, Ontario.
E X P A N S IO N O F C O L L E G E A N N O U N C E D BY N E B R A SK A
Toronto • T h e University of Toronto announces a series of intensive courses for dentists beginning in September. In cluded among them are courses in
Architects are working on plans to re model the second and third floors of A n drews H all at the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry to provide for ex pansion of the college. The school wishes additional space in order to train a larger number of students, to offer a training
anatomy as applied to dentistry, Septem
program for dental hygienists and to de
244 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
velop research projects in dentistry and its related fields. Sufficient remodeling will be com pleted during the summer months to make possible the admittance of a larger freshman class in September 1954. The dental hygienist program will be insti tuted in September 1955.
C a p t a in
F a u b io n
N E W B U IL D IN G B EG U N FOR OREGON DENTAL SCH OOL
Construction of a new dental school building, which will accommodate 300 dental students and 40 dental hygiene students, was started last month at the Oregon School of Dentistry in Portland. The building is scheduled for completion in June 1956. Harold J. Noyes, dean of the school, said the building and equip ment for it would cost about $3,600,000. Taking part in the ground-breaking cere monies were officials of the Oregon State Dental Association and the Portland Dis trict Dental Society.
Canal Zone and at the U .S . Naval A cad emy at Annapolis, M d . During the Korean war he served as chief of the dental service of the U .S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan. Prior to his appointment as deputy chief of the Navy Dental Division, Captain Faubion was head of the professional branch of the Dental Division.
C O L O N E L BEEBE, D E N T A L C O R P S , D IE S A T 47
Lt. Col. Douglas M . Beebe, dental re search consultant for the Bureau of
National Defense N E W D E P U T Y C H IE F N A M E D F O R N A V Y D E N T A L D IV IS IO N
Rear Admiral Daniel W . Ryan, head of the Navy Dental Corps, has announced the assignment of Capt. Bernard Herbert Faubion as deputy chief of the Dental Division. Captain Faubion, who assumed
Standards and W orld W a r II chief of the Army dental services in the AlaskanAleutian command, died July 3 at W a l ter Reed Hospital of a heart ailment. He was 47. Colonel Beebe was graduated from Colorado University and Northwestern University Dental School. After overseas service in W orld W ar I I, Colonel Beebe became chief of dental services at the
his new duties July 1, relieves Capt. R ob ert P. Irons. Captain Irons has been named head of the dental department at the U .S . Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, M d . Captain Faubion was graduated from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in 1934 and was ap
M iam i Beach redistribution center. H e later held the same position at Welch
pointed a lieutenant (jg ) in the Navy Dental Corps in 1936. Early in his Navy
section of the Bureau of Standards, where he was actively engaged in research until his death.
career he served on duty in the Panama
Convalescent Hospital in Florida. In 1949 he became a member of the Research and Development Board of the Surgeon General’ s office. Four years later he was assigned to W alter Reed Hospi tal and to the dental material testing
N E W S O F DENTISTRY . . . V O L U M E 49. A U G U ST 1954 • 245
Colonel Beebe was a member of the American College of Dentists and the American Association for the Advance ment of Science.
for information on 1954 graduates. The purpose of the survey is to determine the military status of each graduate and to see whether those graduates who are im mediately liable for service have applied for commissions. Meanwhile, the Army has started a
D E A N S T O BE A SK E D F O R IN F O R M A T IO N O N G R A D U A T E S
procurement campaign for volunteers re gardless of priority for the Dental Corps.
The National Advisory Committee to the Selective Service System in an informa tion release July 12 requested state chair men to ask deans of the dental schools
If the campaign is successful, it may post pone indefinitely a further draft call by the Army on the Selective Service System.
International D E N T A L P R O G R A M D ISC U SSE D A T G E N E V A H E A L T H M E E T IN G
A n expanded dental health program to include a full-time dental health officer was proposed to a committee of the W orld Health Organization meeting in Geneva M a y 4-21, but no formal resolu tion to implement a program was pre sented to the W H O Assembly. Delegates believed that financial problems facing W H O made further study necessary be fore comprehensive plans to combat den tal disease could be initiated. Some dental health work is now being carried out in connection with the Organization’ s ac tivities in nutrition, and maternal and child welfare work. The proposal to develop a long range program in the field of dental health was
surely a modest beginning could be made in long range planning of dental health measures. A n expanded dental health program had been urged originally by the Fédéra tion Dentaire Internationale at a meet ing of the W H O executive board in January and February. A t that time the Board adopted a report which said in part, “ The time has come when special attention should be given to the promo tion of dental health programs.” Delegates from 71 nations as well as observers from medical and scientific so cieties, governmental and nongovern mental organizations interested in health problems attended the W orld Health As
submitted to the Program and Budget Committee by the delegations of D en
sembly. In technical discussions held si multaneously with the meeting health problems in rural areas were considered. Three awards for outstanding achieve
mark,
and
ment in social medicine were given, one
Iceland. Harold Hillenbrand, A .D .A . sec retary and official member of the U .S. delegation to W H O , pointed out that requests for more attention to dental
to J. R. Coatney, of the National Insti tute of Health, Bethesda, M d ., for origi nal research on malaria. A one million dollar increase was voted in the W H O
health had been made at various sessions of the Health Assembly and stated that
budget. The 1955 W orld Health Assem bly will meet in Mexico City.
Norway,
Sweden,
Finland
246 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
O R E N O L IV E R , O T H E R O F F IC E R S R E -E L E C T E D A T F .D .I. M E E T IN G
The F .D .I., it was reported, has been invited to appoint observers to the World
M ore than 1,000 delegates from 24 coun
Health Organization Regional Commit
tries attended the 42nd annual meeting of the Fédération Dentaire Internationale
tee meetings and also has been asked by
held June 8-13 in Scheveningen, H ol land. The Fédération re-elected all its officers for another term, passed a resolu tion urging authorities interested in health matters to support dental research
W H O to submit a list of persons who might serve as short-term dental con sultants should such consultants be re quired. This was the first time that the advice of the F .D .I. had been sought in dental matters by the W H O . The Fédéra
designed to develop effective preventive
tion again urged that the W H O appoint
measures and discussed the role of the F .D .I. in the dental health activities of the W orld Health Organization.
a permanent dental officer to implement a comprehensive dental program. H ar old Hillenbrand, A .D .A . secretary and a
Oren A . Oliver, a former president of the A .D .A ., was re-elected to a third term as president. Re-elected vice-presidents
U .S. delegate to the 7th W orld Health Assembly, gave a report on the W H O meeting to the F .D .I. General Assembly. The F .D .I. elected to full membership
were Philip Adams and LeRoy M . Ennis of the U .S .A ., J. Deliberos of France, Albert Joachim of Belgium and W . Stew art Ross of England. Jack Stork of H ol land continues as treasurer and G . H. Leatherman of England as secretary-gen eral. Charles F. L . Nord of Holland was named honorary president. Harold Hillenbrand, A .D .A . secretary, was elected an honorary vice-president.
re
Ten U .S. dentists were named m em bers of commissions. John W . Knutson of Washington, D . C ., was named to the public dental health services commission ; Francis A . Arnold of Washington, D . C ., Maynard K . Hine of Indianapolis, Lester W . Burket of Philadelphia and H . Trendley Dean of Chicago to the scientific
the Association des Licencies et Dentistes Universitaires of Belgium, the Malayan Dental Association, the Burma Dental As sociation, the Stomatological Society of Greece and Suomen Hammaslaakariliitto of Finland. The 1955 meeting of the F .D .I. will be held in Copenhagen in August. The 1956 meeting is scheduled for Zurich. In addition to Dr. Hillenbrand, U .S. delegates to the F .D .I. meeting included C. Willard Camalier, John W . Knutson, Arno Bommer and Herbert Loeb.
T R A V E L C O U P O N PL A N DEVELOPED BY U NESCO
commission; Brig. Gen. Marvin E. K ennebeck of the Air Force, Lt. Leyland J. M eder of the Army, and Capt. G . L.
A travel coupon plan designed to ease currency problems for persons wishing to study or do research abroad has been
Parke of the Navy to the armed forces commission; Shailer Peterson of Chicago and William N . Hodgkin of Virginia to the dental education commission. In addition, three Americans, J. Roy
developed by U N E S C O . Similar to the U N E S C O coupon plan for books (see
Blayney, H . Trendley Dean and Otto W . Brandhorst, were named to the juries which will award the Miller, Albert Joa chim and Georges Villain prizes. The Fédération also established a new prize, in memory of Alfred Rowlett, a past pres ident of honor.
the June issue of t h e j o u r n a l ) , the travel coupon scheme enables a person to buy coupons in his national currency and to cash them in the currency of the country to which he travels. They are a form of international traveler’s checks. U N E S C O makes available its own hard currency reserves to facilitate the currency exchange, thus helping to re move a handicap which restricts educa
N E W S O F DENTISTRY . . . V O L U M E 4?, A U G U ST 1954 • 247
tional travel between countries. Infor mation on the travel coupon plan may be obtained from the Council on Student Travel, 53 Broadway, N ew York.
G R E E K D E N T IS T S SEND PLEA FO R HELP AFTE R E ARTH Q U AK E
A plea for help has been received from the Association of Dentists of Karditja, Thessaly, Greece. The dentists write that earthquakes in Thessaly have destroyed the dental clinics and that dental care has completely stopped, as it has been impossible to offer proper aid to patients in the open air. The Greek general consulate reports that three quarters of the homes in Thes saly have been destroyed. The consulate recommends that any dental equipment sent to Greece should be nonelectrical, as there is no electricity. President of the
E N D O D O N T IC S S O C IE T Y F O R M E D IN M E X IC O
The formation of the Mexican Society of Endodontia was announced in June. Serving as officers are: Yury Kuttler, president; Raúl Espinosa, secretary; Félix Loperena, treasurer; Ulises Gutiér rez, first representative, and Eduardo Ortega Z ., second representative.
P A R A G U A Y D E N T IS T S R E P O R T N E W O F F IC E R L IS T
The general assembly of the Círculo de Odontólogos del Paraguay on April 25 elected the following officers : Artemio Salerno Netto, president; Guido R . Ciotti, vice-president; César B. Franco, sec retary; Victor A . Boettner, assistant sec retary; Miguel Ángel Barreiro, treasurer, and Juan Pablo Gorostiaga, assistant treasurer.
Association of Dentists of Karditja is Demetrius Liakos.
G U A T E M A L A D E N T A L S O C IE T Y IN S T A L L S O F F IC E R S
Installed as officers of the Guatemala Dental Society according to a report re ceived July 7 were Eduardo García Salas, president; J. Antonio Pinâgel, vice-presi dent; Hector Serrano Roa, secretary; Jorge Braham J., assistant secretary; G a briel Ramila C ., treasurer, and Enrique Estrada, librarian.
M . I. C O N N E R H E AD S H A W A II D E N T A L S O C IE T Y
The Hawaii Territorial Dental Society held its 52nd annual meeting in H ono lulu June 24-26. Elected officers were: M . I. Conner, president; A . M . Ito, president-elect; T . M . Otake, treasurer; John H . Dawe, secretary, and R . N . Ogawa, assistant-secretary. June 15-18, 1955, is the time set for the 53rd annual meeting.
Public Health NAPLES F L U O R ID A T E S A G A IN , U . S. T O T A L N E A R S 1,000
Nearly 1,000 communities were fluoridat ing their water July 15 as five new towns were added to the total during the first two weeks in July. A t Naples, Fla., where the program had been stopped, fluorida tion was reinstituted as a result o f a refer endum July 6 in which voters cast bal lots two to one in favor of the health measure. The Naples program began originally in 1951 and was discontinued in 1953 to await a referendum. Other communities reporting programs were Martinez, Calif., State College, P a.; Hinton and W elch, W . V a . Nearly 18 million persons are now served by fluori dation programs, and over 21 million are drinking water containing fluorides. Further evidence of the support for fluoridation was gathered through a
248 • T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
study conducted by the Health League of Canada. The League, which sent questionnaires to the heads of depart ments of preventive medicine in 92 North American universities, reports that out of 76 departments responding to the survey, not one opposed the principle of fluorida tion and 69 favored the measure. The Portland, Ore., League of Women Voters also added its name to the list of fluoridation supporters. Endorsement of the caries-preventive measure was voted recently after the League’s fluoridation committee completed a comprehensive eight month study.
TH R E E LEG AL V IC T O R IE S W ON IN FIG H T FO R FL U O R ID A T IO N
Three legal victories for supporters of fluoridation occurred recently. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to re view a California Supreme Court deci
sion upholding the right of San Diego to fluoridate its water. It was the first time that the nation’s highest court had an nounced a ruling involving the fluorida tion of community water supplies. In effect, the Supreme Court sustained the profluoridation ruling of the California court. The second decision involved the city of Tulsa, Okla. Here the Oklahoma State Supreme Court ruled June 15 that the city was within its rights to undertake a fluoridation program, and in athird case, Circuit Court Judge Ronold A. Drechsler ruled for the city of Milwaukee in a de cision handed down June 23. Judge Drechsler said that the June 23 ruling was the first court decision on the legality of fluoridation in Wisconsin. In a thorough and comprehensive opinion, the judge pointed out that “the purpose [of fluoridation] is to promote and pro tect the public health” and that the right of acity to adopt apublic health measure
O n h an d M a y 2b to w atch the start o f the flu o rid a tio n p ro g ra m in R ich la n d , M o ., w ere: B. E. Klein, ch a irm a n o f the co u n c il on d e n ta l health o f the C e n tra l D istric t D e n ta l S o c ie t y ; C . E. Presnell, d ir e c to r o f the B ure au o f D en tal H e a lth , M is s o u r i S ta te D iv isio n o f H e a lt h ; C h a r le s G illo o ly , U .S. P u b lic H e a lth S e r v ic e ; R a lp h Rosen, state ch a irm a n o f the C o u n c il on D en tal H e a lt h ; D a v id W . Brock, p a st p re sid e n t, M is s o u r i S ta te D e n ta l A ss o c ia t io n , a n d J a m e s R. A m o s, M .D ., d ire c to r, M is s o u r i S ta te D iv isio n o f H e a lth . R ic h la n d is the first M is s o u r i c o m m u n ity t o b e g in flu o rid a tio n .
N E W S O F D ENTISTRY . . . V O L U M E 49, A U G U ST 1954 • 249
does not depend on the existence of an emergency, an epidemic, a contagious or. infectious disease. The judge said further that the health measure is not a violation of religious freedom and is not the prac tice of medicine, dentistry or pharmacy by the city. The Oklahoma Court stated that “'there can be no distinction on principle between [fluoridation] and compulsory vaccination or inoculation, which, for many years has been well-established as a valid exercise of police power.” The court said also that it could see no point in making a legal distinction between the right of a city to treat its water with chlorine and its right to fluoridate.
C A T H O L IC W E E K L Y C R IT IC IZ E S F L U O R I D A T I O N FOES
America— National Catholic W eekly R e view in its July 3 issue criticized the use of such labels as “ subversive” and “ C om munist” in the propaganda of some op ponents of fluoridation. The magazine deplored this “ antiCommunist hysteria” and said: T he reckless use o f tags such as “ subversive” or “ Communist” plays directly into the hands o f the enemy. T h e gullible see Reds behind every bush, while the more pollyannaish poohpooh the danger through failure to recognize a real threat where there is one. Last A pril 6 the citizens o f L a Crosse, Wis., were debating a referendum on the fluorida tion o f their drinking-water supply. A hand bill of the Citizens Com m ittee Against Fluori dation broadly suggested that the program of fluoridation, allegedly for the prevention of dental caries, was in reality “ Communist-inspired” and “ a m ethod o f R ed warfare.” It was quite reasonable to believe this, the bill said, “ since the U .S. Public Health Service has fathered the fluoridation program in the United States.” T he anti-Red opposition to fluoridation did not end there. O n June 1, Rep. Clare E. H offm an o f M ichigan had re printed in the appendix o f the Congressional R ecord a letter from the Dickinson County Anti-Fluoridation C ouncil o f Iron M ountain, M ich., in reply to a request for evidence of Communist influence in the U SPH S. “ T he slow mass poisoning o f the entire population
o f the U nited States,” it said, “ is the main objective o f com munism .” N othing remotely resembling “ evidence” o f subversion turned up in the 25-item letter. I f endorsing fluoridation is evidence o f Communist leanings, then we must include am ong the Red-tinted conspira tors the Am erican M edical Association, the Am erican Dental Association, the National R e search Council and the Am erican Public Health Association, all o f which have ap proved fluoridation. “ Anti-Com m unist hys teria” is a much overused term, but this looks like the real article.
Research S T U D Y SH O W S N O H A R M T O BONE G R O W T H F R O M F L U O R ID E
A study of the effect of fluoride in drink ing water on the osseous development of the skeleton in children showed that there was no adverse effect on the growth and development of their bones as a result of continuous use of drinking water which contained naturally as much as 6.2 ppm of fluoride. The study was made by H. Berton McCauley and F. J. McClure and was reported in the July 1954 issue of Public Health Reports. Dr. M cCauley, director of the bureau of dental care of the Baltimore City Health Department, was engaged in re search on problems related to dental health at the National Institute of Dental Research from 1945 to 1949. Dr. McClure has been associated with the N a tional Institutes of Health since 1936 and has done extensive research on the physiological effects of fluorine. Dr. McCauley and Dr. McClure studied children aged 7 through 14 years from Lubbock and Amarillo, Texas, and Cumberland, M d . These communities use drinking water which contains fluoride in amounts of 3.5 to 4.5 ppm, 3.3 to 6.2 ppm, and 0.1 ppm, respectively. Roentgenograms were taken of the right hands and wrists of 2,050 children. From the roentgenograms the skeletal age was assessed and a quantitative index of
250 • T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
ossification was determined. N o evidence was found of any harmful effects from the drinking of fluoride-bearing water. “ These results,” the report says, “ con firm the safety of maintaining the fluoride level of public water supplies at about 1.00 ppm F, by controlled fluoridation, for the reduction of tooth decay.”
U L T R A S O N IC H A N D P IE C E D E V E L O P E D A T C O L U M B IA
The development of an ultrasonic hand piece vibrating 29,000 times a second has been announced by Carl R . Om an and Edmund Applebaum of the School of Dental and Oral Surgery at Columbia University. The new instrument is an adaptation to dentistry of a machine tool now widely used by industry for precision cutting of resistant materials.
It is reported that the new device is quicker and quieter than conventional rotating burs and that patients on whose teeth it was used felt no pain. A pre liminary report, which was published in the July issue of the N ew York State Dental Journal, called attention to possi bilities in the new technic for making cuts of predetermined shapes and sizes with high precision. Some of the basic research and pre liminary animal studies were conducted jointly by the Naval Dental School and the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, M d . A demonstration of an ultrasonic drill operating at 25,000 vibra tions a second was made in M a y at the annual meeting of the British Dental A s sociation. (See t h e j o u r n a l , page 254; also July issue.) Experiments on the Brit ish device are being carried on by the Royal Air Force.
General J. R O Y B L A Y N E Y R E T IR E S AS D I R E C T O R O F Z O L L E R C L IN IC
secretary of the American Association of
J. Roy Blayney, director of the Walter G. Zoller Memorial Dental Clinic, re tired from his position last month. H e had
Endodontists. In M ay 1954 Dr. Blayney was ap pointed consultant to the Dental R e search Advisory Committee of the O f
been director of the clinic since 1936. Dr. Blayney is a former chairman of the Association Council on Dental Edu
fice of the Surgeon General of the Army. Dr. Blayney will continue as director of the fluoridation project in Evanston.
cation, a past president of the Illinois State Dental Society and former chair man of the committee of dental health of the Chicago Dental Society. H e has served in leadership positions in other
111 .
N A T IO N A L C O U N C IL L A U N C H E S H E A L T H C A R E E R D R IV E
professional organizations also. In 1952 he was vice-president of the Institute of
The National Health Council on June 16 launched a nationwide drive to in
Medicine of Chicago. The year previous he served as president of the American Academy of Oral Pathology. H e is a past president of the International Asso ciation for Dental Research and a past
crease the pool of health manpower. “ Operation Health Career Horizons, by bringing to the young people in our 26,000 high schools information on a wide range of health career opportunities, will
N E W S O F DENTISTRY . . . V O L U M E 49, A U G U S T 1954 • 251
C h a r le s W e in r ic h a n d W illia m C le la n d , the o n ly tw o re m a in in g fo u n d e rs o f the D e lta S ig m a D e lta d en tal fraternity, w ere h o n o re d J u n e 8 a t a fra te rn ity d in n e r in A n n A rb o r, M ic h . S h o w n (I. to r.) are: Dr. C le la n d , J o h n Travis, fo rm e r p ro fe sso r o f o p e ra tiv e d e n tistry at the S c h o o l o f D entistry, U n iv e rsity o f M ic h ig a n , Dr. W e in r ic h a n d Paul J e se rich , d e a n o f the S c h o o l o f D entistry, U n iv e rsity o f M ic h ig a n .
open new channels to recruitment and enable all the health professions and their supporting services to reach more
of North Hollywood, Calif., at a dinner held June 8 in A nn Arbor, M ich. Dr. Weinrich will be 94 years old in Novem ber, and Dr. Cleland is 90 years old. The two men were celebrating the 70th anni
and more candidates,” said A . W . Dent, president of the Health Council. T h e drive is an outgrowth of the Council’s 1954 National Health Forum held in M arch. A t the Forum, leaders in
versary of their graduation from dental school and the 72nd anniversary of the founding of Delta Sigma Delta, oldest of
education met with representatives of 48 national health organization members, including the American Dental Associa tion, to discuss health manpower prob
the dental fraternities. Over 200 people attended the dinner. Greetings came from various organiza tions and outstanding men in the field of
lems. T h e Council will publish a guide book on health careers for teachers and
dentistry in the United States and abroad.
vocational counselors, a leaflet for stu dents and parents and posters to be used in the classroom and by the community.
PLA Q U E S PRESENTED TO F R A T E R N IT Y FO UN DERS Bronze plaques were presented by Delta Sigma Delta dental fraternity to its only remaining founders, Charles P. Weinrich of H am m ond, La., and William Cleland
C O R R E C T IO N A P R IL JO U R N A L The April issue of t h e j o u r n a l carried an article entitled “A New Local Anes thetic Agent.” A n error occurred on page 410, first paragraph. T h e corrected sen tence reads, “ Results obtained by using trypan blue intradermal irritation tests in rabbits showed its toxicity to be about one eighth as irritating as tetracaine.”
252 • T H E J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
O R A L P A T H O L O G Y IN S T IT U T E PLANS R E ISS L E C T U R E
The New York Institute of Clinical Oral Pathology announces that the third Her man L. Reiss Memorial Lecture will be held at the New York Academy of M edi cine October 25. Raymond J. Nagle, dean o f the New York University College of Dentistry, will lecture on the function of the temporomandibular joint. E L M E R S. BEST, D E N T A L S U R V E Y E D IT O R , D IE S
Elmer S. Best, editor of Dental Survey, died July 9 at the age of 73. Dr. Best was graduated from the Chicago College of Dental Surgery in 1906 and attended the Royal College of Dental Surgeons in Toronto, Canada, as well. H e is the author of more than 60 articles in dental and other professional publications. Dr. Best served as secretary of the International College of Dentists from 1937 until his death and had been regis trar of its United States section since 1935.
H e was a past president of the M inne apolis District Dental Society and a past president of the X i Psi Phi dental fra ternity. H e was a member of the Ameri can Association for the Advancement of Science and of the International Associa tion for Dental Research.
L. N. H A R L O W , P R O M IN E N T F L O R ID A D E N T IS T , D IE S
Lloyd N . Harlow, first director of dental health for the Florida State Board of Health, died M ay 30 in St. Petersburg, Fla. H e was 58 years old. Dr. Harlow was active in the affairs of organized dentistry. H e served the Florida State Dental Society at various times as president, vice-president and secretary. H e had also been business manager and associate editor of the Society’ s journal and was a representative to the House of Delegates of the American Dental Asso ciation for several years. He was a past secretary of the Florida Public Health Association.
Also . . . The New Zealand Dental Association and the New Zealand Health Depart ment have started a fluoridation study project in the town of Hastings. The project is believed to be the first program of controlled fluoridation in the Pacific area. . . . The 82nd annual meeting of the American Public Health Association will be held in Buffalo October 11-15. . . . One day seminars sponsored by local dental societies and planned by the Bureau of Dental Health of the West Virginia Department of Health and the State dental society will be held in five West Virginia cities during October. T h e theme is “ Diet in the Control of Dental Caries.” . . . The Southwestern Society of Orthodontists will meet October 10-13 in Oklahoma City and the Northeastern Society of Orthodontists in Boston October 25 and 26. . . . A “ Pencils Please” cam paign under the sponsorship of the Save the Children Federation is underway to collect millions of pencils for youngsters all over the world who now must learn to write by tracing letters in the dirt. Pencils may be sent to “ Pencils Please,” 1721 Park Ave., N ew York. . . . The New England Dental Society meets in Boston October 20 and 21. . . . Operative dentistry will be the theme of the clinic o f the Washington Alum ni Chapter of Alpha Omega Fraternity scheduled for Washington, D. C ., O c tober 13. . . . J. B. Carr, former trustee of the 7th district, died July 20. A n obituary will be published in the August j o u r n a l .
International C orrespondence
NEW S F R O M G R E A T B R IT A IN
has just introduced the follow ing require ments: Candidates may com m ence the dental curriculum proper on producing evidence that they have obtained the General Certificate of Education with “ passes” in English language, a language other than English, either mathe matics or an approved science subject, and have passed chemistry, physics and biology in the General Certificate o f Education at the advanced level or in the premedical examina tion o f the R oyal College of Surgeons. A confidential report is obtained from the headmaster or headmistress w hich gives an assessment o f the candidate in terms o f his health, personality and academ ic promise. It is now customary for a small com m ittee from the dental school to conduct a personal inter view with the candidate. Few British dental schools have given aptitude tests. In the one or two that have done so, the tests include exercises such as bending wire into a circle or square, carving wax into the shape o f a four sided pyram id and m olding plasticine. T h e selection committee grades the candi dates. Preference is given, o f course, to those receiving the highest grades; but as a result o f the reduction in the number of applica tions, every suitable candidate usually can now be given a place. Applicants residing out side the U nited K in gdom have to produce adequate evidence o f their integrity, suitability and knowledge o f the English language.
Professor H. H . Stones, dean o f the School of Dental Surgery, University o f Liverpool, gives the follow ing inform ation regarding the selec tion o f candidates for admission to dental schools in G reat Britain and Northern Ireland. Each dental school is now associated with the university in the vicinity, and the univer sity grants degrees in dentistry. T he degree open to the undergraduate student is the Bachelor o f D ental Surgery (B.D.S. or B.Ch. D .). T h e R oyal C ollege o f Surgeons in Eng land, the corresponding R oyal College in Edinburgh and Glasgow and most o f the English universities also grant a license in dental surgery (L .D .S .), the course for which is usually shorter than that for the degree. Before a candidate can be admitted to a den tal school he must have passed a public pre liminary examination in general education and for the degree must have satisfied the minimum university entrance requirements to a degree course. These requirements vary somewhat, but the follow ing is a typical ex ample. T h e public examination that a boy or girl takes when at school in England is now termed the General Certificate o f Education. In this examination the various subjects can be taken at either ordinary level or advanced level. It usually takes tw o years from the time a stu dent passes a subject at ordinary level at 15 to 16 years o f age before sufficient knowledge is acquired to pass at the advanced level. T o satisfy the entrance requirements to the degree course the candidate must pass in five or six subjects w hich include English language, an approved language other than English, either mathematics or an approved science subject, and three other approved subjects (tw o o f the subjects must be taken at advanced level). In some universities candidates are required also to have passed in chemistry and physics at n o less than ordinary level. This must not be confused w ith the later study o f chemistry, physics and biology that is usually taken at the university in the first year dentistry course. If, however, these subjects have been passed at the advanced level, in most universities the student can obtain exem ption from the cor responding subjects in the predental course. For the L.D .S., the universities usually require the same entrance requirements as for the degree. T h e Royal C ollege o f Surgeons o f England
SH ORTAG E OF STU D EN TS
T h ere has been a serious falling o ff in the num ber o f students in the m ajority o f dental hospitals in Great Britain, and the British D ental Association is taking steps to see how this serious condition can be rem edied. M any of the schools have vacancies. It is feared that there will be a diminution in the number o f practitioners on the Dental Register if this situation is allowed to continue. T h e British D e n ta l Jou rnal o f June 15th published in its News Sheet 27 some details o f the 1954 Dental Register. In 1925, when the number o f den tists registered under the 1921 A ct was vir tually at its highest, there were 13,818 names on the Register. Thirty years later the total had gone up to 15,549, and the com position o f the Register had almost com pletely changed as the follow ing table shows. 253
254 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
Class Graduates and licentiates
No. registered Year 1954 1925 5,447
11,790
Registered under Dentists A ct 1878
984
2
Registered under Dentists A ct 1921
7,296
3,283
Colonial
59
216
Foreign
32
258
13,818
15,549
T otal
It will be seen that the dentists licensed un der the A ct o f 1878 have virtually vanished from the register, secondly, that the graduates have increased by approxim ately 6,000, having m ore than doubled in number during the pe riod, and thirdly, that the num ber o f dentists registered under the A ct o f 1921 has decreased by more than half during the same period. T h e result o f these changes has been an in crease in the Register o f only 1,700. D uring the same period, however, the popu lation o f the British Isles has increased from approxim ately 44,000,000 to 50,000,000. T he result is that today there are 15,500 dentists to treat a population o f 50,000,000, approxi mately one dentist to 3,250 persons. In 1925 there were 13,800 dentists to treat a popula tion o f 44,178,000, or 1 dentist for each 3,200 persons. T h e T eviot Com m ittee recom m ended about 20,000 as the optim um number for the Register. It w ould follow that there is today a shortage o f about 4,500. Clearly a gain o f under 60 per annum is not going to solve the problem. U nfortunately there is at present no sign o f any increase in the rate o f recruit ment.
T H E U L T R A S O N IC D R ILL
H . A. Pitt R och e o f L ondon, w ho dem on strated the ultrasonic drill at the annual meet ing o f the British Dental Association in Black pool, has contributed the follow ing notes. T h e 50 watt ultrasonic drill consists o f an ultrasonic generator and a magneto-restrictive transducer on a bench type drill stand. T he two are connected by a four core cable, and controls are limited to an on -off switch and a tuning con trol; the pow er is obtained from A .C . mains. Primarily intended for the ma chining o f hard and brittle materials such as glass, ceramics, tungsten carbide, diam ond and synthetic jewels, the drill has a reciprocating action instead o f the conventional rotary one. Thus the cutting o f materials is not confined to circular holes, but the cut follows the shape
o f the drill selected. M ost com plex shapes can be cut and m achined with a finish o f 20 m icro inches. T h e m achine has a nom inal frequency o f 20,000 vibrations per second and a nominal amplitude o f 0.0003 inches. T h e tools can be made o f brass or m ild steel and are used in conjunction with an abrasive slurry. T he abrasive can be silicon carbide, boron carbide, diam ond bort or ruby, and is mixed with water. Little wearing o f the tool takes place as the tool merely acts as a conveyer for the abrasive. T h e speed o f the cut varies with the material being w orked and the size o f the tool; but a ¡4 inch solid tool will penetrate soda glass to a depth o f 2 mm. in 60 seconds, and higher cutting speeds are obtained by using h ollow or trephining tools. It is found that with little adaptation the tool can be used on tooth surfaces in the mouth. W ith trephining tools shaped to the con ventional type o f cavity preparation, it is found that cutting can be effected fairly quickly and with extreme accuracy. Little skill is called for on the part o f the operator, as the shape o f the cavity is predetermined by the shape of the tool. Provided the frictional heat is dis persed by the watery abrasive, little or no pain occurs, and the sensation is not unpleasant. T h e effect on the pulp tissues has not yet been investigated fully, but teeth drilled ultrasonically to date have not shown any adverse symptoms. Experiments are continuing, as it is felt that the ultrasonic drill may well prove a useful adjunct to dental equipment.
IT E M S O F IN T E R E S T
T h e Ministry o f Health, with the full support o f the British D ental Association, is taking steps to implement the findings o f the United K in gdom Mission which visited the United States to study fluoridation, and it is hoped that an investigation in a selected town will com m ence in the near future. As in the U nited States, there has been considerable opposition from some quarters, and the British Dental Association by a series o f panel discussions and lectures is striving to bring home to the prac titioners the advantages o f fluoridation in the fight against dental caries. Dr. R oper Hall, w ho has been the Associa tion’s honorary treasurer for many years, un fortunately, because o f ill health, has had to resign this position w hich he has held with such distinction, and D r. Gilbert, a member o f the Council, has been elected to take his place. G era ld H . L ea th e r m a n , D .M .D ., F .D .S .R .C .S .
The status of the dental profession in France
\t the present time graduates of French dental schools receive only a certificate .vhich does not confer the title of doctor. The French dental profession feels that the ibsence of such a title places a mark of inferiority on the profession and is attempting :o rectify the situation. A report, excerpts of which follow, was prepared by J. Foure. Dr. Foure received his D .D .S . from Ohio State University and also holds a degree :rom the Faculty of Medicine of Paris. T h e Minister o f Education in France is presently considering whether French dental tudents shall, upon com pletion o f their studies, •eceive the title o f D octor o f Dental Surgery, >r whether they shall continue to obtain as >efore a mere certificate giving them the 'ight to practice dentistry. Various attempts have been made in the jast to obtain for French dentists the recogniion w hich is symbolized by a doctor’ s degree. Today, the exceptional vitality o f professional ife in France and especially the earnest deire to reorganize dental studies have led to mother attempt for recognition. French denists believe that the course o f study in French lental schools is o f sufficiently high caliber to ustify the awarding o f a doctor’ s degree. T he ibsence o f this title gives to dentistry an inerior status. The title o f “ D ental Expert” was made ivailable to French dentists in 1699 by an idict o f K in g Louis X I V , but with the French evolution, all regulations with regard to acts )f healing, including those o f dental care, vere abolished, and when, in 1803, regulations or the healing arts were reinstituted, no pro vision was made for dentists. Consequently, o a considerable extent, the care o f the teeth ell into the hands o f charlatans. In 1892, a group o f French dentists de eded to unite their efforts to raise the standirds o f their profession by giving it a legal itatus and by providing a form al education or prospective dentists. Thanks to members >f the profession, dentistry has made rapid progress. H owever, it has lost its prestige and mpetus to advance since it has not acquired tanding as a qualified and independent proession. T H E DENTAL SCH O OLS
French dental schools were founded as non profit organizations by groups o f leading pracitioners at the end o f the last century. T h e ■ight o f these schools to grant a certificate las been officially recognized. T h e curriculum 255
has been im proved constantly. Entrance re quirements have been raised. T h e course of study is five years. T od a y the level of studies is am ong the highest in European dental schools. In spite o f this, the certificate is only validated with the assent o f the Faculty of M edicine. Another factor which explains the inferior status o f French dentistry is the existence o f a com peting group o f practitioners known as “ stomatologists.” Stomatologists are first graduated from the m edical faculty and receive, therefore, the title o f doctor. A fter graduation, they follow a two year course in a school o f stomatology, where they specialize in oral surgery and be com e acquainted with the various other as pects o f dentistry. A dentist is limited in his field o f w ork; the doctor o f m edicine is not. H e has the legal right to practice dentistry even w ithout having received the two years o f form al training in the subject in a school o f stomatology. T h ere is no doubt that the two years of special training provided the student o f stoma tology qualifies him in oral m edicine, oral surgery and even m axillofacial surgery. H ow ever, his training in general dentistry does not in any way equal that o f the graduate o f a dental school. A U T O N O M Y IN D E N T IS T R Y
In spite o f the numerical inferiority of the stomatologists (there are about 730 as com pared to the 13,000 dentists), they have always been an influential group in France. This influence results from the prestige o f their title o f “ doctor,” o f which they are naturally jealous. T h e stomatologists contend that if dentists are to receive the title o f doctor, they must earn it by traveling the same path as the stomatologists. T h e dental profession, on the other hand, is opposed to this proposal as, if adopted, it w ould make the dental profession totally sub servient to the medical profession. It has
256 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
learned by experience that only by total autonom y is dentistry able to progress. Secondly, the need for practitioners could not be met if, instead o f five years o f dental training, the full m edical course plus three years o f stomatology were required. O nly a few students w ould be willing or financially able to m eet the lengthened educational require ment. T h e dental schools themselves have taken the initiative in the struggle to im prove the position o f dentistry. Pelletier-Dutemple, direc tor o f the E cole O dontologique de Paris, is am ong those w ho have provided able and dynamic leadership. T h e schools have been unanimously supported by the dental profes sion and have also acquired the support of many leaders o f the medical profession. A DENTAL FACU LTY
T h e ob ject o f the present campaign is to have a dental faculty created, w hich w ould be quali
fied to bestow the doctorate o f dental surgery on successful candidates. This w ould mean that the schools w ould no longer be privately run, nor w ould they have to depend for their existence solely on tuition and the willingness o f the teachers to contribute their time gratuitously. Instead, the schools w ould be com e part o f the University, in the same way as are the schools o f m edicine, pharmacy, law and science. T h e dental schools, too, w ould be subsidized by the government. T h e lack of subsidies has been a most serious handicap in the developm ent o f dental schools. At the present time, the Minister o f Public Health and the Minister o f National Educa tion are studying a report by PelletierD utem ple on all aspects o f the problem. French dentistry hopes to see the profession recognized as o f equal status with other branches of the healing arts in France and also to acquire an equal status with the dental professions o f other countries. 1 5 1, B o u lev a rd H aussm ann , Paris