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.

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.

Army Dentistry Notables

Notables

John Sayre Marshall, M.D. was appointed as the Army’s first contract dentist, senior contract dental surgeon on 11 February 1901. Shortly after Congress passed Public Law 453, 36 Stat. 1054, establishing the U.S. Army Dental Corps, Dr. Marshall was commissioned the first Army dental officer. CPT Marshall served until his retirement on 17 June 2011. He is often referred to as the Father of Army Dentistry.

On this Day in the History of U.S. Army Dentistry

For more historical events, visit the Army Dentistry History Timeline.