Army Dentistry History Resources
Publications
- A History of Dentistry in the U.S. Army to World War II by JM Hyson, JW Whitehorne, JT Greenwood. Borden Institute, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC. 2008.
- “Female Dentists in the U.S. Army: The Origins” by JM Hyson. Military Medicine. 1995 Feb:160(2):57-62.
- “African-American Dentists in the U.S. Army: The Origins” by JM Hyson. Military Medicine. 1996 July: 161(7):375-381
- “The United States Army Dental Corps: A Century of Commitment, Service, and Care.” The Army Medical Department Journal. January-March 2011 PB 8-11-1/2/3.
- “The Army Dental Service in Vietnam” by George F Mayer DDS. JADA. 1967 Sept: Vol 75(3): 585-588.
- 100 Years of U.S. Army Dentistry: 1911-2011. Special Edition by Faircount Media Group. Tampa, FL. www.faircount.com.
Online Resources
- Highlights in the History of U.S. Army Dentistry - 2012 Ed: by JE King, SA Passo, NA Watson
- AMEDD Center of History & Heritage - AMEDD Corps History - Dental Corps
- The CPT Ben Salomon Story: by WT Bowers
- African American Dental Surgeons and the U.S. Army Dental Corps: A Struggle for Acceptance, 1901-1919 by JM Hyson
- Dentistry During WWII – an Unappreciated History: by Sean Zimny
- U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence: Army Dentistry
- From World War I to Present Day: U.S. Military Dentistry
- U.S. Army Military History Institute Medical Historical Services Division – Military Dentistry - A Working Bibliography of MHI Sources
- National Museum of Dentistry - U.S. Military Exhibit: 2024
- Women's Army Corps Veteran Served with Dental Teams in Vietnam War by Jeremy P. Amick, News Tribune, July 27, 2020, Jefferson City, Mo.
- The Fighting Doctors of the Office of Strategic Services by Dr. Lester E. Bush, edited by Randy P. Burkett, Studies in Intelligence Vol. 62, No. 3 (Extracts, September 2018)
Personal Histories
- Oral History Transcripts of Interviews with MG (Ret) Robert B. Shira, MG (Ret) Edwin H. Smith, Jr. , MG (Ret) S. N. Bhaskar, MG (Ret) George Kuttas, MG (Ret) Thomas Chandler, MG (Ret) Bill Lefler, MG Thomas R. Tempel, and BG (Ret) Robert Strader
- The CPT Ben Salomon Story by MG Patrick ‘Pat’ Sculley
- Prisoner of War Experiences of COL Roy Bodine, Jr., COL (Ret), U.S. Army Dental Corps as told by MG Patrick ‘Pat’ Sculley
- “MAJ Fernando E. Rodriguez, D.D.S., An Army Dentist and Pioneer in Dental Research” by Susan (Sue) Allen
- “The Story of Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo, U.S. Army and The Congressional Medal of Honor” by Ronald Lambert, COL (Ret)
- “Alexander P. Suer World War II US Army Dentist Coordinating V 2” by JE King COL (Ret)
Did You Know?
Paul Revere performed the first military forensic identification using dental records after the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1776. And a French Navy dentist regularly treated American soldiers fighting for our fledgling country during the Revolutionary War.
Until 1911, when Congress passed a law establishing the U.S. Army Dental Corps, the Army relied on civilian dentists to support the oral health care needs of its soldiers.
Today, more than 100 years later, Army Dentistry has a long and resolute tradition of serving soldiers wherever they may be. In garrison and in the field – Army Dentistry is there.
For more information, visit the AAD Army Dentistry Timeline.
Spotlight on Excellence
Robert Edison Moyers graduated from the University of Iowa School of Dentistry in December 1942 and immediately entered the Army. He was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency, and began intensive training in physical conditioning, cryptography and survival techniques.
On December 7, 1943, MAJ Moyers, along with four other soldiers, parachuted into Greece, where he served as the senior allied medical liaison officer to the Greek resistance. For his services in World War II, MAJ Moyers received the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, the Order of the British Empire and the Order of the Phoenix from Greece. Several books and articles have been written about his exploits with the Greek resistance, including “The Fighting Doctors of the Office of Strategic Services” by Dr. Lester E. Bush, which provides an in-depth description of his time with the OSS.
Returning to Iowa City in September 1945, Dr. Moyers began his graduate work in orthodontics. He received his master’s degree in 1947 and a doctoral degree in neuromuscular physiology in 1949. He received the Milo Hellmann Research Award for his doctoral thesis in electromyography.
In 1948 he became chair of the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Toronto and then assumed the chair of orthodontics at the University of Michigan in 1952. After an illustrious career, Dr. Moyers retired in 1980. He was the recipient of the Albert H. Ketcham Award, the highest award given in orthodontics, and was elected to the Royal College of Surgeons in 1995.
Dr. Moyers died January 8, 1996, at the age of 76. He is remembered for his innovative and interdisciplinary approach to research, his service to the country, and for his many contributions to the specialty of orthodontics.
The 53rd Annual Moyers Symposium, a living memorial to Dr. Moyers as the former chair of the Department of Orthodontics and founding director of the Center for Human Growth and Development, is scheduled for March 7-8, 2026, at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
On this Day in the History of U.S. Army Dentistry
For more historical events, visit the Army Dentistry History Timeline.