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Show Dental Association Answers Petition Asking For Resident Practitioneer In an effort to locate a dentist . who might be interested in estab-! lishing offices in Roosevelt a group of local citizens recently petitioned the Utah state dental association. Roosevelt's problem which was placed before the association as-sociation by the group's spokesman, spokes-man, J. R. Gillespie, received the personal attention of Dr. Carl M. Decker, the dental association president. Dr. Decker's reply to Mr. Gillespie's letter is presented herewith and is self-explantory, March 9, 1946 Dear Mr. Gillespie: Your letter of March 2, and the enclosures, representing .people of your community, were received receiv-ed by me this morning. You, and they, are certainly correct in feeling feel-ing that your area needs the serv ices of at least two dentists. Two dentists would be hard pressed, indeed, to render service to 8,000 people, if those people have done somewhere near as much dentistry dentist-ry as they probably need, Only two weeks ago I recommended recom-mended to a dentist returning from Army service that he should investigate the possibility of locating in Roosevelt, Duchesne, Du-chesne, or Vernal. I have inquired inquir-ed this morning, however, and I find he is now equipping an office in Provo. As to whether he visited the Uintah Basin towns or not, I am not sure. I have in mind now a dentist, Dr. Wm. D. Bishop, who formerly practiced in Duchesne, but is still in the Army, who might consider returning to the Basin area. I can inform you, however, that vour area would be bidding a-gainst a-gainst the town of Beaver, but at that I believe he can be induced to return to either Duchesne or Roosevelt If he could obtain a favorable location. He can be addressed ad-dressed as: Capt. Wm. D. Bishop, D. C, Camp Roberts, California. Some of the smaller towns of our state have seemed to impose a religious test to any professional profession-al man who desires to locate there. Without denying that people have a right to such a preference, pre-ference, I feel that it is at least short-sighted. One need only to consult a large number of dentists den-tists who are. members of a church to find out how little such membership has to do with . a man's qualifications and desires to render skillful, honest, and altruistic dental service. f May I be permitted, also, to write concerning another situation situa-tion which confronts any dentist ' who sets up an office in the Basin area? There is in Salt Lake City a certain dental labratory operator operat-or who, in your area, is accorded, and even apparently welcomes, the title of Doctor. He is not a licensed dentist, but he does offer strong competition to any licensed licens-ed dentist in your area. It is of course the policy of wisdom for people to have their dental work done where they live, not by someone 130 miles from their home. Many dental services, in order to be thoroughly adequate, must be followed up with sufficient suffic-ient regularity and frequency to permit correction or adjustment of certain details. Indeed, the principal difference between the best and the poorest dentistry is the opportunity and also the willingness, will-ingness, of a dentist to follow up his work and see that proper attention at-tention is given to details. If a population is to really receive adequate dental care they must seek to ascertain not "How quickly quick-ly and how cheaply" the work can be done, but rather "How willing is the dentist to devote, time and skill to details". By this statement I do not wish to hint that dentistry need be "high-priced". Utah dentistry has never, so far as I know, been "high-priced." This is attested by the large number of former Utah citizens, now residents of other states, who, if possible, return to Utah to get their dental work done. And they come prepared to pay near top fees for Utah, still saving sav-ing money rather than paying the prevailing fees for similar service serv-ice in other states. I have inquired of the leading dental supply house manager here if he knows any other dentist den-tist now seeking a location in Utah. He knows of no other at the present time. After the State Dental Examinations are held, probably in June, there will be other dentists seeking locations in our state. I happen to know, however, that there are locations or localities in Utah, to the number num-ber of about thirty-five which will be in competition with each other for the services of the new men who will qualify as dentists this summer. One of the items (Continued on Page Eight) Dental Association Answers Petition (Continued from Front Page) that will attract these new men will be a suitable office location, with north, cast, or south light exposure, and with suitable utilities util-ities such as electric power, adequate ad-equate .sewage facilities, and, if possible, availability of natural I gas, or some other satisfactory combustion gas. If any building in your town offers such advantages advan-tages it will go far toward satisfying satis-fying the desires of a man contemplating con-templating the establishment of a dental practice. Now, this sermon, as you may term it, is not directed to you per sonally, Mr. Gillespie, nor to Roosevelt alone, either, but I have felt for many years that the people of rural Utah have not had the proper attitude toward the dental practitioner. They complain that they cannot get pood dentists. This is not true. They can, and do, get as good dentists as the average in our state, but they often fail to keep them, because they fail to give the local man proper support, preferring to say that they have had their dentistry done in Salt Lake, even though, as a rule when they come to Salt Lake, they seek the services of men who do not hold a Salt Lake practice prac-tice By that, I mean that the men they see depend to quite an extent on the practice they get from people out of town, for whom they do not have the pro-ner pro-ner opportunity, even if they have the desire, to give proper attention to details. I shall continue to keep in mind your problem as long as I serve as President of the Utah State Dental Association, and shall transmit the information to mv successor, who will be Dr. Wm. S. Moycs, of Ogden. The Association is truly desirous desir-ous of aiding the smaller towns in obtaining adequate dental service, ser-vice, adequate both in amount and in quality. If you are convinced that what I have written deserves consideration consid-eration by your population, I believe be-lieve you, as an educational leader, lead-er, can render a great service by spreading the ideas which I have attempted to convey to you. I am anxious to see these problems prob-lems met. both by the profession and by the population, and if I can assist you in any particular I hope you will not hesitate to call on me. Sincerelv, Carl M. Decker. D D.S Pres., Utah State Dental Association |