442nd Dental Flight: Fit to bite

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Wesley Wright
  • 442nd Public Affairs Office
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Good dental health goes a long way - all the way across the globe and back - to be precise.

The 442nd Medical Squadron Dental Flight personnel make sure Citizen Airmen, whether serving here, going through an operational readiness exercise, or actually deploying, are medically sound to support the mission overseas.

An ORE is something most 442nd reservists are familiar with by now.
Lt. Col. Paul Smith, commander of the 442nd Medical Squadron, is in charge of making sure the processes and checks are in place to ensure reservists are ready and fit to deploy.

Prior to an ORE, the medical squadron receives a "prepare-to-deploy" order; the players are identified; medical records are screened and final checks are done at the wing assembly area.

With so much going on, it's no wonder things speed up at the dental flight.

"Two to three weeks prior to an ORE, the workload increases significantly for several people." Colonel Smith said. "The mission here is about prevention as opposed to a deployed environment where the focus shifts to treatment and prevention."

One such deployment happened for some 442nd Dental Flight members in April 2010, when reservists deployed to Alaska in support of Operation Arctic Care. OAC 2010 brought medical and dental care to 12 remote villages, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska.

Staff Sgt. Brandi Meyer, 442nd Medical Squadron, deployed in support of the operation.
Sergeant Meyer supported the 442nd Fighter Wing mission of training and deploying ready-reservists by ensuring they did not have any dental issues that would prevent them from executing the mission abroad.

The dental flight does this though annual exams that maintain dental classifications on reservists.

"We see 80-100 patients per reserve weekend (leading up to the ORI,)" Sergeant Meyer said.

If a reservist is found to have a major dental problem, that reservist is considered class-three.

"Reservists deployed in a class-three status could potentially experience a need for emergency dental treatment during their rotation. The member would most likely be transported to another location to receive adequate care. Their absence could negatively impact the mission with an unnecessary interruption, that otherwise, could have been prevented." Sergeant Meyer said.

Sergeant Meyer also said the OAC 2010 mission was two-fold: Humanitarian and training.

"(OAC) brought dental care to remote populations in Alaska which normally did not receive dental care. They do not get a lot of nutrients they need or fluoride either, which we have in our water here. The most rewarding part of it was seeing kids learn and applying what they have learned," Sergeant Meyer said.

Both Sergeant Meyer and Lt. Col. David Moyer, commander of the 442nd Dental Flight, described OAC as a positive experience. "Many of the children there were pre-diabetic and overweight. Educating those kids and fixing dental problems such as extractions and fillings was rewarding," Colonel Moyer said.

The mission was not without its own unique challenges; Colonel Moyer said they were snowed in for six days in an Air Force Armory in Alaska.

"There were blizzard conditions and the Blackhawk helicopters flying us relied on visuals to fly," he said, "We almost had to take dogsleds on a two-day trip." he said.

While the focus of the operation was humanitarian aid, it had a training aspect as well, as Airmen were able to hone their skills while helping the local populace. After the operation was over, it was time to head back here to get ready for challenges on base.

Sergeant Meyer also said dental care does not stop at teeth.

"Abscesses can lead to cardiac problems or stroke and poor self image," she said.

Colonel Moyer agreed on the consequences of poor dental hygiene.

"Poor dental health can lead to cardiovascular disease not being able to eat well due to missing teeth, or coronary disease," he said.

Colonels Moyer and Smith said reservists should focus on two main things when it comes to dental health and their military career: the DD form 2813 (Active duty/Reserve
Forces Dental Examination) and annual checkups.

A DD 2813 allows reservists to fulfill their yearly checkup requirement at civilian dentists for two out of every three years. The third year check up is required to be at a military dentist. Annual checkups are required; otherwise the reservist is classified as class-four, or overdue, which means the reservist cannot deploy until they get a checkup.

"If reservists have (a DD 2813) filled out, it could save 20 minutes to an hour on their visit," Colonel Smith said.

"The 442nd Dental Flight has these forms available," Colonel Moyer said, "Be aware, and get your checkup done on your birth month."

Whether it's doing fillings here or extracting a tooth in the Arctic Circle, the dental flight is fit to bite.