Historically, armed conflict has thrown a spotlight on the aggressive spread of deadly infectious diseases, which are easily transmitted when large numbers of people are displaced. But war has also had a lesser known, and more positive effect on dentistry. In 1914, Britain had no official dental branch of the armed services, and so dentists who were keen to serve their fellow countrymen enlisted as combatants.
The U.S. experienced similar problems. When it entered the war, the U.S. Army had just 86 officers on its dental staff to treat about 200,000 troops. As the number of enlisted men swelled, so too did the dental staff. Naturally, dentists who served their country in the war treated soldiers for routine dental problems, like toothaches and fractured teeth, as well as more severe trauma caused by the conflict itself. For many of the enlisted men, the dental care they received in the Army was the first they’d ever had.
At University Associates in Dentistry, we pride ourselves on offering the latest dental technologies and treatments to our valued patients. Call (312) 704-5511 to request an appointment for preventive care, cosmetic dentistry, or dental implants in Chicago.
