Story: Dental care

Dental nursing: Mobile dental clinic, 1949 (3rd of 5)

Dental nursing: Mobile dental clinic, 1949

A dental nurse at Te Kaha in the Bay of Plenty encourages a rather reluctant young patient to enter the mobile clinic and take her place in the dental chair. After the Second World War, dental nurses in rural areas used mobile clinics to provide services to children in remote locations – meaning that children in small one-teacher schools could receive the same services as children in schools with fully equipped dental clinics. The mobile clinics were used not just for dental treatments, but also for promoting oral health.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, National Publicity Studios Collection
Reference: 1/2-033761-F
Photograph by William Wilson

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Andrew Schmidt and Susan Moffat, 'Dental care - Dental nurses to dental therapists', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/30596/dental-nursing-mobile-dental-clinic-1949 (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Andrew Schmidt and Susan Moffat, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 6 Nov 2018