Centennial of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, 1911-2011

"…that no such office existed; the services of a dentist when required being paid for by the officer or enlisted man employing him." - Response by U.S. Army Surgeon General to letter from Richard F. Doran, D.D.S. inquiring about Dental Surgeons in the U.S. Army, 1894

"…The large number of troops in the Philippines and elsewhere, where the services of competent dentists can not be secured, makes it desirable that the Government should make a reasonable provision for the emergency dental work required by officers and enlisted men of the Army." -Brig. Gen. George Sternberg, U.S. Army Surgeon General, endorsement, Jan. 16, 1900, regarding a bill to establish the U.S. Army. Dental Corps.

"While stationed at Annienville, I received my first baptism of shell fire. Quite a few shells fell in the village every day. The first shell I heard while working, I dropped handpiece and mouth mirror, and the patient I was working on and I had a race for the nearest dug-out. After several days of this work and run schedule, I came to the conclusion that little or no dental work could be accomplished if we tried to hide from all the shells. Quite a few shells fell near us during the stay there but we did not run to a dug-out, but kept on working. We were not always successful in keeping the patient in the dental chair. . . ." - William Paul, 327 Infantry, 82nd Division, July 1918 As long as the U.S. Army operated within the continental United States, soldiers requiring dental care were expected to find it on their own and at their own expense. As the American military developed an expeditionary role during the early 20th century, the need for trained dentists to accompany troops into the field became apparent. By 1901, contract dentists were attached to Army units. On March 3, 1911, in order to provide a cadre of trained commissioned officers and enlisted personnel to care for American soldiers, was the U.S. Army Dental Corps was established.

During the Civil War, soldiers requiring dental care were directed to hire civilian dentists. With the arrival of General William Sherman’s army at Savannah, Georgia in December 1864, a local dentist noted, “From daylight until dark our dental offices were besieged. The cry was, relief from present suffering, ‘Do something for my teeth that will keep them from aching.’”	-Dental turnkey, ca. 1860 (used to extract teeth) (M-007.00074)
In 1871, the Army began supplying post surgeons in the West with sets of tooth extraction instruments, such as this one manufactured by the SS White Company of Philadelphia.	Tooth extraction instruments, ca. 1871. (M-007.00009)
Enlisted hospital stewards, some of whom were trained dentists, provided dental care to soldiers as part of their duties. In 1872, William Saunders became the first soldier recognized as a U.S. military dentist when he was directed to provide dental service for cadets and staff of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.	Cap Device, Hospital Steward [prior to 1890] (M- 902.10022)
William Saunders	Collar Device, Contract Dental Surgeon [1902-1911] (M-902.10030)
Collar Device, U.S. Army Dental Corps [1911-1923] (M-902.10023)	Collar Device, U.S. Army Dental Corps [1923-present] (M-902.10025)
During World War I, more than 2500 cases of face and jaw injuries were reported among American soldiers. Army dentists applied their knowledge of tooth and jaw structure to the treatment of gunshot fractures, in order to perfect new methods of splinting jaw fractures associated with massive bone loss.	Gunning closed-bite splint, ca. 1918 (M-500.10170)
During World War I, most severely wounded patients were evacuated to the United States. In preparation for the voyage, they were fitted with open bite intermaxillary splints to prevent them from choking on vomit resulting from seasickness.	Trismus appliance with jackscrews, ca. 1918 (M- 500.10169)
The draft of large numbers of men in poor dental condition necessitated widespread issue of dentures to ensure soldiers could chew their food. Army dentists manufactured dentures for 13,140 soldiers during World War I and 1,860,000 soldiers during World War II.	Vulcanite (hardened rubber) dentures made for General John Pershing, ca. 1920.
A rubber shortage during World War II hastened the adoption of dentures made from newly developed acrylic plastic.	Acrylic dentures, ca. 1945. (M- 500.05404)
	Dental forceps for extracting lower molars, ca. 1970. (M-007.06401)
Used by LTC George Perkins, LTC Roy Bodine and MAJ Alvah Hamilton, U.S. Army Dental Corps, while held as prisoners of war from April 27 to September 8, 1945	Japanese dental kit (M-007.00036)
Dental readiness is an important factor in determining whether a soldier is able to function within the combat zone. Prevention of dental diseases is one of the primary missions of Army dentists.	McCall Scaler for cleaning teeth, ca. 1960 (M-007.05903) Plugger for filling cavities with plastic amalgam, ca. 1970 (M-007.00045)