SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1978
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FIRST DENTAL NURSE TRAINING COURSES BEGIN ON MONDAY ******
HONG KONG'S FIRST DENTAL NURSE TRAINING COURSES WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY (OCTOBER 23) AT THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S NEW DENTAL THERAPIST TRAINING SCHOOL AT MORRISON HILL.
THE TRAINING COURSES ARE PART OF THE DEPARTMENT'S MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TO PROMOTE DENTAL HYGIENE AND PROPER DENTAL CARE OF THE COMMUNITY.
UNDER THE TRAINING SCHEME, 33 DENTAL THERAPISTS WILL UNDERGO A THREE-YEAR TRAINING COURSE AND FIVE DENTAL HYGIENISTS WILL TAKE PART IN A ONE-YEAR COURSE.
THE DENTAL THERAPIST TRAINING SCHOOL, NAMED AFTER SIR SHIU-KIN TANG WHO HAS DONATED A SUBSTANTIAL SUM TOWARDS THE CAPITAL COST OF THE SCHOOL, IS ACCOMMODATED AT THE
MACLEHOSE DENTAL CENTRE NOW IN THE FINAL STAGE OF CONSTRUCTION.
ON COMPLETION OF THEIR TRAINING COURSES, THE DENTAL THERAPISTS WILL WORK IN A SCHOOL DENTAL CARE SCHEME TO BE LAUNCHED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN 1980.
THEY WILL WORK IN A SCHOOL DENTAL CLINIC, ALSO ACCOMMODATED AT THE MACLEHOSE DENTAL CENTRE, TO PROVIDE PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH A SERVICE WHICH COVERS BOTH THE PREVENTIVE AND BASIC TREATMENT ASPECTS OF DENTAL CARE.
THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS MAJOR DENTAL HEALTH SCHEME IS IN LINE WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WHITE PAPER ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL AND HEALTH SERVICES.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID IT WAS ENVISAGED THAT THE SCHEME WOULD PROVIDE REGULAR DENTAL EXAMINATIONS AND SIMPLE CONSULTATIVE TREATMENT INCLUDING ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT AND THE SERVICE WOULD BE CARRIED OUT BY TRAINED DENTAL NURSES UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF DENTAL OFFICERS.
INITIALLY, THE SCHEME WILL BE AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN ENTERING PRIMARY SCHOOL IN A GIVEN YEAR AND THEREAFTER WILL BE PROGRESSIVELY EXTENDED TO INCLUDE CHILDREN ENTERING PRIMARY SCHOOL IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS, HE SAID.
THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT A FURTHER FOUR SCHOOL DENTAL CLINICS WOULD BE BUILT, TWO EACH IN KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, WITHIN THE NEXT SIX YEARS AS THE SCHOOL DENTAL CARE SCHEME GRADUALLY EXPANDS TO COVER MORE CHILDREN.