Review of current U.S. Army dental emergency rates

The purpose of this article was to review current dental emergency rates for U.S. Army personnel and to identify shortfalls in dental emergency research. The Department of Defense Dental Classification System is intended to identify military personnel at the greatest risk for dental emergencies, allowing military dental assets to prioritize dental treatment. Only two studies have been published on the emergency rates of U.S. Army Soldiers since 2000, both detailing emergency rates for Soldiers deployed to Bosnia. The Stabilization Force VII study identified that Soldiers experienced dental emergencies at a rate of 156 per 1000 per year, whereas the Stabilization Force VIII study found the rate of 170 per 1000 per year. No studies have been conducted for the Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom due to difficulty in capturing all dental treatment encounters. Researchers should attempt to standardize the nomenclature and definitions to aid in the comparability of future dental emergency rate studies.