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Dental Service in Rural Communities tal Health Services to the Public in Rural Ontario Communities,” organized by the Ontario Dental Public Health Council and held in Toronto in November, the Ontario Minister of Health, Hon. Matthew Dymond expressed his concern over the maldistribution of dentists over the province, dentists, like doctors tending to congregate in the cities, leaving the rural areas with very inadequate service. The Minister said that a few years ago a movement was started to try to recruit young dentists to go into areas where they were most needed. In its last seSsion the Government granted bursaries to ten students to induce them to serve in rural communities. Another plan under consideration is to establish a new Dental College and the Minister would like to have it located outside Toronto, in the hope of attracting more students from rural back- grounds. “There is now a great sense of urgency about health problems," Mr. Dymond said. “if we cannot get the service the people need through the profession we will have to 100k for it elsewhere.” Dr. S. A. MacGregor, Chief of Dental Services at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Chil- dren and Professor on the Faculty of Den- tistry, Toronto University, with a wide experi‘ ence in public health work across the Dominion, spoke on “Rural Ontario and Its Health Problems.“ Dr. MacGregor expressed his “alarm” at the way young dentists are crowding into the cities. From a questionnaire submitted to a graduating class he quoted these reasons for avoiding practising in a town of 5,000 or less: “I can make more money in the city.” "People in outlying areas have little appreciation of preventive dentistry. They tell you what they want done rather than accept a complete eitamination.” “I am told it is hard to get country people to make appointments.” "l was brought up in the city and my home and friends are here." "I want to specialize." “I can't get suitable accommodation in a rural area. With the hope that a dentist who had grown up in the country might be more likely to practice in the country, the Ontario Dental Association does considerable recruiting in rural high schools. Unfortunately too many students who would like to go to university to study dentistry fail in their matriculation exams and this led to the question of why so many fail in Grade XIII. (This was dis- cussed at some length in the Workshops later in the day.) Dr. MacGregor quoted from an a. T THE workshop conference on “Den- 28 editorial in the West Lorne Sun: “As [he select few who got into university with no or 65% average are hard at work, mm about the others who had their eyes so .m higher education but who failed to reaci- :he required university entrance percentage? 1- Am though their percentage may have i m 59.9%, their education most likely is c! it Are the Universities, the Governments 1.] others sacrificing the future of these _\- up people needlessly?" “ The speaker asked if this yardstick 7 a true indication of the student’s ability reminded us that such great men as Ed; and Osler were not brilliant students by St standards. At the same time it was sugg. that teaching standards in both rural c1 secondary schools might well be exami ‘, that the rate of teachers’ salaries and the i; of academic specialists in rural areas migl- -; partly re5ponsible for Grade XIII results. i provide Junior Colleges for students l Grade XII might help. Anyway it is very portant for the rural community that l i young people be trained in the profession u that we can have more dentists, doc. teachers, clergymen coming back to sew > rural areas. The speaker introduced the problem oi high cost of university education, especr for students who must live away from in and the high cost of setting up in denta‘ medical practice. And Dr. M. E. Jarrett Wellington County Health Unit explained Fergus Student‘s Aid Association. A fund $5,000 was established as a beginning and - is being added to. A student in need of in may have a loan free of interest and he n not start to repay it until after he has gm ated and worked for five years. The conference members were divided 1" workshops to consider problems of educal in and appreciation of dental care, the SUL economic problems of the dentist in a n community, physical accommodation, prm ing dental services for handicapped patien and of course the overall problem of getli a sufficient number of dentists for rural are:I Some of the recommendations were: Education should be reinforced in 1'U communities by full-time public health serviu and the professional societies. Dental assoc: tions should provide factual material for pre' radio, television and films. Greater emth should be put on vocational guidance in nu schools to interest students in dentistry as Wu as other professions, with emphasis on servi; in rural areas. One group felt that Grad XIII taken alone is not the best index of wag/3 . ,4 HOME AND COUNTR3