Dental Care at the Front Lines: Assessing Dental Emergency Rates in Deployment
A recent study reveals the prevalence of dental emergencies among deployed service members and emphasizes the importance of pre-deployment dental care for military readiness.
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Air Force Lt. Col. Rory Fredrick, a dentist with the 134th Medical Group, Tennessee Air National Guard, performs a routine exam on a member Jan. 6, 2024, to keep members deployment-ready. Dental screenings help prevent dental emergencies from arising during critical missions, increasing the overall lethality of the force. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Nancy Goldberger) |
March 25, 2025 by Vivian Mason
Highly trained dental professionals are essential to ensure the oral health of service members by providing preventive care, diagnosing and treating dental issues, and maintaining oral hygiene standards. They also provide dental care in deployed environments, including combat situations.
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Lt. Col. Michael Struthers (Photo credit: Tom Balfour, USU) |
“Oral health—whether resulting in pain, infection, or functional impairment—can greatly affect the operational effectiveness of military personnel.”
In the military, a “dental emergency” refers to a situation where a service member experiences severe dental issues that demand immediate care. These emergencies are especially challenging during deployments, where access to dental services may be limited. Struthers' research, aligned with previous U.S. studies, defined dental emergencies as cases involving pain, loss of function, or significant psychological distress leading the service member to seek urgent dental care. His study, “Dental emergency rates at an expeditionary medical facility supporting Operation Inherent Resolve,” published in Military Medicine in 2024, examined emergency dental visits within a deployment population supporting Operation Inherent Resolve from October 2019 to September 2023, involving an average of 2,313 service members.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study that investigated dental emergency rates over a four-year period, as opposed to a shorter time frame (six months) for more immediate conflicts,” Struthers recounts.
Struthers’ study analyzed the causes and frequency of dental emergencies among deployed military personnel, assessing whether preventive dental care has reduced the rate of dental disease non-battle injuries (D-DNBIs). Service members seeking dental treatment were screened and categorized into seven primary reasons, including tooth restorations, extractions, soft tissue issues, and pain management. The study found that fractured teeth and cavities were the most common emergencies, with stress-related dental problems, such as clenching and grinding, increasing significantly.
A key component of the research was comparing emergency dental rates between Air Force and Army personnel. The study found that Army service members experienced a higher rate of extractions, accounting for 75% of all cases, while Air Force personnel required more procedures to re-cement prosthetics and manage orofacial pain. Despite ongoing efforts to ensure a dentally fit force before deployment, dental emergencies remain frequent, with an estimated 150–200 cases occurring per 1,000 service members annually. These findings reinforce the ongoing need for military dental providers in operational environments.
Struthers suggests that more comprehensive pre-deployment screening and treatment could alleviate a significant portion of this condition and eliminate the need for care in austere environments.
He summarizes, “The primary etiological factor was the result of tooth fracture and/or dental caries. The results of this research confirmed that dental emergencies continue to be a threat to overall readiness in deployed environments.”
Reflecting on the findings, Struthers posed the questions, “Do we need to change the way that we prepare service members? Do we need to change the ways that we train providers?”
Ultimately, he asserts, “Our service members need to be prepared. So, we need to be both medically ready and ready medically.”
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A Jordanian dentist was invited to observe and assist Lt. Col. Struthers (far left) at the U.S. dental clinic in order to increase his clinical proficiency and skill set. (Photo credit: Lt. Col. Michael Struthers, PDC, USU) |
