Public health model for Dental Specialty MEDRETE

Dental readiness training exercises constitute one form of a specialty medical readiness and training exercise (MEDRETE). Traditional dental missions have been a part of general MEDRETEs and have focused care on extractions and the provision of oral hygiene instructions. This article describes the tenets of a prevention-based dental humanitarian mission to Honduras in 2002.

The U.S. Army Southern Command requested a Dental Specialty MEDRETE for fiscal year 2002. A site visit revealed the absence of water fluoridation, high levels of dental disease, and a desire to have an American dental team perform the dental readiness training exercises at the Escuala Lempira, a low-income elementary school in the Honduran capital city of Tegucigalpa.

The U.S. Army Dental Command in conjunction with the 257th Medical Company (Dental Services) performed a pediatric dental readiness training exercises in Tegucigalpa March 4-15, 2002. In over 9 treatment days, there were 369 patient encounters totaling 1,593 treatment procedures. In keeping with the preventive focus of the mission, 514 dental occlusal sealants were provided compared with only 90 extractions. Over dollar 76,000 in dental services was provided.

The 2002 Honduran Dental Specialty MEDRETE represented a changing paradigm from extraction-based dental missions toward prevention-based missions. With this philosophical shift in focused care, Dental Specialty MEDRETEs have the ability to enhance the oral health of children, including those not fortunate enough to have received direct interventional dentistry.