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Military Career: Dental Specialists

 

Overview

Dental care is one of the health services provided to all military personnel. It is available in military dental clinics all over the world. Dental specialists assist military dentists in examining and treating patients. They also help manage dental offices.

What They Do

Dental specialists in the military perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Help dentists perform oral surgery
  • Prepare for patient examinations by selecting and arranging instruments and medications
  • Help dentists during examinations by preparing dental compounds and operating dental equipment
  • Clean patients' teeth using scaling and polishing instruments and equipment
  • Operate dental X-ray equipment and process X-rays of patients' teeth, gums, and jaws
  • Provide guidance to patients on daily care of their teeth
  • Perform administrative duties, such as scheduling office visits, keeping patient records, and ordering dental supplies

Branches of the Military

Army
Navy
Air Force
Coast Guard

Helpful Attributes

Helpful school subjects include biology and chemistry. Helpful attributes include:

  • Ability to follow spoken instructions and detailed procedures
  • Good eye-hand coordination
  • Interest in working with people

Training Provided

Job training consists of 9 to 14 weeks of classroom instruction, including practice in dental care tasks. Further training occurs on the job and through advanced courses. Course content typically includes:

  • Preventive dentistry
  • Radiology (X-ray) techniques
  • Dental office procedures
  • Dental hygiene procedures

Work Environment

Dental specialists in the military usually work indoors in dental offices or clinics. Some specialists may be assigned to duty aboard ships.

Civilian Counterparts

Civilian dental specialists work in dental offices or clinics. Their work is similar to work in the military. They typically specialize in assisting dentists to treat patients, provide clerical support (dental assistants), or clean teeth (dental hygienists).

Below is a list of similar civilian occupations:

Dental Assistants
Dental Hygienists

Opportunities

The military has about 6,000 dental specialists. Each year, the services need new specialists due to changes in personnel and the demands of the field. After job training, new specialists are assigned to dental offices or clinics, where they work under the supervision of dentists. With experience, dental specialists perform more difficult tasks involving patient care. In time, they may become responsible for assisting dental officers in the management of dental programs.


Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Washington D.C.