An army that cannot bite, cannot fight.

Dental as Anything Podcast

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An army that cannot bite, cannot fight.

Dental personnel have a long history of ensuring that the members of our Army, Navy and Air Force have good oral health. ANZAC Day is an opportunity to reflect on their service.

Matt Hopcraft

Apr 24, 2024

Transcript

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

For the fallen by Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)

During the Boer War from 1899-1902 Australian soldiers suffered from dental infections that affected their general health – and therefore their fighting capacity, which clearly demonstrated a need for a dedicated dental service alongside the medical service. A recommendation from the Surgeon General to establish an Army dental service in 1906 was ignored, and when World War 1 broke out in August 1914, Australia had no way to manage the dental needs of the many thousands who signed up to defend the Empire.

As a consequence, the Army had to rely on the goodwill of the dental profession who provided free treatment to ensure that the troops were fit to deploy. Dentists and dentistry students also enlisted as infantry soldiers and took some of their dental equipment with them to provide treatment to their fellow soldiers overseas. Dentists were later enlisted into the Army but served in the Australian Army Medical Corps.

Meanwhile the Royal Australian Navy had appointed their first dental officer in 1918, and the Royal Australian Airforce appointed their first dental officer in 1927. It wasn’t until 1943 that the Australian Army Dental Corps was finally established, building on a long tradition of dental personnel supporting the defence of the nation.

In this episode of the Dental as Anything podcast I speak to Dr Amanda Leen about her experiences as a dentist in the Royal Australian Army Dental Corps. Amanda joined the Army as an undergraduate dental student, and served as a dental officer at 1 Brigade in Darwin and 1 Health Support Battalion in Holsworthy. She is now an orthodontist practising in Geelong.

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The Last Post is a bugle call played before the period of silence at a commemorative service. The version in this podcast is sourced from the ANZAC Portal (Department of Veterans’ Affairs).