[Impact of dental emergencies on combat readiness in Croatian Army]

The potential of dental emergencies to reduce combat readiness is a major concern of military planners. Dental fitness classification is the primary measure of a soldier's dental readiness.

The teeth and mouth of 400 soldiers, 200 of them recruits and 200 active duty military personnel, were prospectively examined. According to oral status, the subjects were divided into three classes: class 1, requiring no dental treatment or reevaluation within 12 months; class 2, oral condition not expected to result in dental emergency within 12 months, if not treated or followed up; and class 3, subjects requiring dental treatment to correct both their dental and oral health condition, which is likely to cause dental emergency during a 12-month period.

The survey designated 18% of study subjects to class 1, 15.5% to class 2, and 66.% to class 3. Group 3 subjects had a considerably reduced combat readiness, because they may have needed treatment for some dental emergencies at any moment.

It is concluded that recruits generally have inappropriate dental status when they present for military service. Although they have free dental care (except for prosthetics and orthodontics), professional soldiers also have rather poor dental status, which can reduce the possibility of providing due care for dental emergencies, thus adversely affecting their combat readiness.