1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
Unqualified Qualified
dentists
dentists
Total wastage
567
4
9
6
10
11
11
8
12
10
4
14
11
15
13
17
15
4
19
17
21
100. To offset losses, the average increase over the past 12 years through additions to the Dental Register of dentists qualified overseas has been eight a year.
101. It is possible now to bring this information together in the form of a table showing the shortfall of dentists on an assumed ratio of 1 dentist to 6,000 population outside the Government and School- children's Dental Services:
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
•
Additions (qualified Wastage overseas)
Net Number
Total Need
Shortfall
00 00 00
00
8
437
8
9
436
721
285
10
434
734
300
11
431
748
317
11
428
763
335
12
424
772
348
14
418
782
364
8
15
411
793
382
8
17
402
803
401
8
19
391
814
423
8
21
378
825
447
00 00
00 00
102. Before drawing any conclusions from this table it is necessary at this stage to consider the extent to which overseas training of dentists contributes to Hong Kong's need for dentists. It has already been pointed out that the average annual contribution from this source is eight dentists. Small though this is it has been sufficient to meet the needs of the Government Dental Service (say three a year), and the grant of further Government dental scholarships would take care of the 12 dentists needed in pairs during 1979-84 for the School-children's Dental Service. Unfortunately, sources where Hong Kong students can be trained abroad have virtually dried up, since countries cannot cater for their own needs of trained dentists. Only two Hong Kong students have been accepted by Sydney University during the last three years, whilst the University of Otago accepts Hong Kong scholarship students at a maximum of three a year subject to annual review. The situation is unlikely to be improved in the future.
103. The conclusion is that it is imperative for a local source of supply of dentists to be found, not only for the Government and School- children's Dental Services but also because, whatever the dentist/ population ratio ought to be, giving dental care to school-children will make them dental-conscious and the demand for dentists in the private sector will rise.
104. Training should be done at a university. Taking the limit of the University of Hong Kong's existing resources for pre-clinical train- ing of dental students as 40 a year, assuming the construction of a dental teaching clinic to complete the training of these 40 a year, and assuming for the moment no wastage in training, it has been calculated that if the first output of dental graduates is in the year 1980 then by 1991-92 the dentist/population ratio will have dropped from the present 1:9,300 to 1:8,000. The ratio of 1:6,000 will never be reached with an annual output of 40 dentists. It could be reached by 1990-91 with an annual output of 60 dentists from 1980 onwards. (Further estimates of possible targets are given in Appendix 9).
105. Thus, while hesitating to fix on any particular ratio figure at present, the Committee recommends that plans should be made for a dental school starting with a pre-clinical annual intake of at least 40, and with an annual output of about 60 dentists from 1980 onwards.
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