Oral Health of New Zealand Service Personnel in WW1

During the First World War, 10% of New Zealand's population served in the armed forces, and around one in five of those were killed. In commemoration of 100 years since WW1, this study uses retrospective data to report on the oral health of NZ service personnel.

325 Pākehā, 165 Māori and 150 Samoan male recruits who served in the NZ Expeditionary Force between 1914 and 1918 were randomly selected and their personnel files accessed through Archives New Zealand.

The oral health of recruits was described as 'good' for 44%, 'pass' for 38%, 'pass with false teeth' for 5% and 'poor' for 13%. Dental health was documented at enlistment for a decreasing proportion of soldiers as the war progressed, dropping from 96% during 1914-15, to 54% in 1916 and 22% in 1917-18 (p < 0.001). Significantly more soldiers who enlisted in 1917-18 had poor dental health (44%) than those who enlisted during 1916 (20%) and 1914-15 (8%) (p < 0.001). By ethnicity, Māori had the best dental health, followed by Samoan and Pākehā recruits (p < 0.001). On average, dental health was poorer among the lower ranks and among recruits of low socio-economic status; and soldiers from major cities had better oral health than those from rural areas; however, these differences were not statistically significant in this sample.

Enlistment criteria appear to have been loosened as the war progressed, perhaps to accept more soldiers into service. Poor oral health was reported for approximately 1 in 7 accepted recruits. Māori appear to have had better oral health.