Panel dentistry

The InternationalJournal of Orthodontia,Oral Surgeryand Radiography PUBLISHED

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C. V. MOSBY

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EDITORIALS Pa,nel Dentistry issue of Oral Hygiene T HEtistry May,by F.1930, N. Doubleday, L.R.C.P. London,

an address on Panel DenM.R.C.S., L.D.S. England, London, England, as presented before the St. Louis Dental Society, March 15, 1930. The St. Louis Dental Societ,y is to be congratulated for presenting this subject, which is so very poorly understood by the dental profession in the United States. Oral Hygiene is to be commended for its service in giving this matter wide publicity. It seems that most societies and journals are afraid Perhaps it is not a matter of fear, to discuss the question of panel dentistry. but rather a lack of understanding. Many of those who do understand the subject, do not believe that panel dentistry is possible in this country. It is our belief that nothing would do so much as the panel system, as it exists in England, to lower the professional standing of the dentist and the contains

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physician in this country. We often hear the statement that dentistry has developed from the barber shop, for it was the barber who at one time attended to dental duties. Considering its lowly’beginning, dentistry has made tremendous stride‘s in becoming the science which it is today. However, mit,h the advent of the panel system as employed in England, it is our belief’ that the barber would occupy a much higher professional standing than the dentist. The barber is able to choose his clientele and est.ablish his own scale of prices, but under the panel system the dentist is compelled to work for such patients as are apportioned to him by certain friendly societies, fraternal organizations and insurance committees, nor is he permitted to establish his own fee. Dr. Doubleday in presentin g his paper before the St. Louis Dental Society constantly called attention to the fact that the dental profession in America was fast approaching a similar condit.ion to that which exists in England. We suspect that a great many dentists believed Dr. Doubleday was merely “holding and that the panel system is remote in this forth” country. Labor unions and health organizations are getting a greater control of the affairs of the country each day. In the New York State IJegidature an Old Age Pension Bill was passed last year. There has also been introduced in the New York State Assembly, each year for the last few years, a compulsory insurance bill which provides such benefits as are similar to those provided by the panel system in England. This year the bill was the ninth introduced and appeared with the following foreword : “To establish a system of compulsory insurance to furnish benefits for employees in case of old age, unemployment, death, sickness and accident, not covered by workmen’s compensation, and for their dependents in case of sickness, accident and death, and to furnish maternity benefits, and to provide for contribution by employers, employees and t,he state, and to create the health insurance commission. ’ ’ You will note that this preamble covers almost. everything. Under the benefits mentioned we find ‘(medical, surgical, dental and nursing attendance, and treatment. ’ ’ We also find included, “laboratory facilities and specialists, medical and surgical supplies.” This is followed by : “All necessary medical, surgical and nursing attendance and t,reatment or other treatment permitted by law and all necessary nursin, e in connection therewith shall be furnished by the fund or society to insure persons and the dependent members of their families, from the first day of sickness or the happening of an accident, In provided notice has been given; otherwise from the date of such notice. case of disability such attendance and treatment shall not be furnished to the same person for more than twenty-six weeks of disability in any consecutive twelve months. All dental service for necessary extraction and filling of teeth Tn another shall be furnished to insured persons by the fund or society.” paragraph we find that “The fund or society shall provide proper laboratory and other facilities for diagnosis and treatment, and shall make arrangements with specialists, including dentists, for consultation, treatments and operations. Insured persons and the dependent members of their families shall be supplied with all necessary medicines, medical and surgical supplies, dress-

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Editorials

ings, eyeglasses, trusses, crutches, and similar appliances prescribed by the physician or surgeon. Insured persons shall be furnishtd with all n(wwar’~dent,al treatment and the suppIies required for such treatment. ” A careful study of this bill shows that the physicians and dentists will be stripped of professional standing and independence by being placed on a patIt’ where they mill be chosen by the fund or society and will be compelled to do work for the insured persons at a fee already stipulated by the organization. The practice of medicine and dentistry would be placed ltndrr the control of a group of individuals who know nothing about the nature or the value of sucll srrvices. As a certain number of men would have power in arranging the panel, the> distribution of patients would be under political control, and it necessarily follows that political affiliations would havr a gwat deal to do with the number of patients that are assigned. We could quote many other objectionable features of this system as embodied in the bill which was before the New York Stat<> Assembly. We htlieve, howrrrr, that we hare given enough to show the profession that panel dentistry in this country is not remote. The only way for the nwdical and dental professions to combat this is by organizing with strtwgth qua1 to thr labor unions which are trying to “put it over.” Jf the medical and dental professions are milling to have thr labor unions dictate to them, there is of course no need to organize. If the doctors and dentists desire to remain as independent as the barbers, then it will be newssary for them to organize in order to combat such detrimel:tal laws as hare Dr. Doubleday admonished 11s been introduced and are gaining headway. d7tly.

RESOLT;TIONS

OF THE AMERICAh’

SOCIETY

OF OR~THODONTISTX

Realizing the increasing interest that is being taken by school officials, health departments and other organizations everywhere, in t,he improvement of dental health among children, and, Believing that malocclusion remediable dent,al defects, and, WHEREAS, the disregard mouths results in misleading lished. Wherefore, be it,

is one of the most serious and important

of

of this deformity in the inspection of children’s reports bein, w sent to parents and otherwise pnb-

Resolved, That the American Society of Orthodontists recommend that all examinabions or inspections of the mouths of children for dental defects properly should include in addition t,o items Already provided for a notation of malBe is further occlusion where present or impendin, m and advise its correction. Resolved, That these resolutions be given as wide publicity as possible by publication in the several dental journals and the bulletins of state and othw dental societies, and organizations engaged in child welfare work.