Reports From Counsellors 

Hellenic (Greece) Group

The Hellenic organisation of the Academy consists of approximately 40 members with more applications for membership still to be approved.  Most of the members have completed a full speciality program of at least two years.  Their Counsellor, Assistant Professor Constantine Oulis was elected by the members and the Hellenic group was the first to have such an election.  Under Dr Oulis’s direction regular meetings are being held where Academy matters are discussed and suggestions proposed for presentation to the membership at large.

In order to increase efficiency as a local organization of the Academy a filing system of membership, with details of credentials and qualifications has been set up.  This will help to keep track of members, correspondence and for financial control .

Although Paediatric Dentistry has been known in Greece for more than two decades, it is only recently, 1980, that it started to be accepted as a speciality.  It now serves to set the standards for the care of children.  One of the main points of focus in the Hellenic meetings has therefore been to promote the speciality and achieve official recognition in Greece.  Working groups within the organization have undertaken the task of addressing issues such as ethics, dental care fees and methods to increase the awareness of the dental profession and the public concerning Paediatric Dentistry.  These working groups will provide information and education for the public and initiate a preventive care program to start early in children’ lives.  Furthermore the group will seek to increase the awareness of the need for the speciality amongst general dentists throughout Greece, and the potential benefits both to themselves and their patients of referring children for specialist care.

Finally the group is very busy preparing for the 1994 Congress to take place in Athens.  An organizing committee has been formed which includes Dr C.J. Oulis (President), Dr G Vadiakas (Secretary), Dr L Papagiannoulis, Dr N. Kouvelas, Dr A Vassilopoulou, Dr S. Geki , Dr E. Hotuman and Dr N. Lygidakis.

British Group. 

The British Group now has 24 members and the membership continues to grow.  It has had one meeting to confirm Dr John Roberts as Counsellor and further business meetings are planned.

Swedish Group

For several decades children’ dentistry (Pedodontics) in Sweden been very effective and administered within the Public Dental Service.  It provides free dental care for all children up to the age of 19 years including all necessary specialist treatment.  Specialist dental care for children has developed rapidly during the past twenty years and today all counties have clinics for special dental care which work in close cooperation with genera dentists and the Public Dental Services.  Due changes in the political situation in Sweden there is a growing emphasis on private enterprise.  This has meant that in some areas the Country Council have sold the childrens’s dentistry services to private dental practitioners or the Public Dental Services, which have been converted themselves to private enterprises of dental cooperatives working on a capitation basis.  At the moment we do not know how fast this change will take place or what it will me in terms of taking care of the oral health of children.  We will be carefully following the: developments and provide further reports.

Finnish Group. 

At the Institute of Dentistry (University of Helsinki) a clinic for children with special dental care needs has now beer opened.  This is to demonstrate to the authorities the need for such special care and that are the staff and facilities to start speciality training in Paediatric Dentistry.  The most likely form of training in Finland will be called “clinical speciality” which will mean most of the training will be in pedodontics but with adjuvant training in other aspects of rest dentistry, periodontology etc.  The group actively seeking to enlarge the number of teaching staff positions.