The role of a deployed British Army dental team on exercise Immediate Response 24

Dental morbidity remains a significant contributor to disease non-battle injuries during military operations, posing a threat to operational effectiveness by causing debilitating pain, necessitating evacuations, and diverting limited medical assets.This paper explores the role and integration of a forward dental team during Exercise Immediate Response 24, with a particular focus on the use of a repurposed dental support vehicle (DSV). With the DSV, the dental team were able to deliver emergency, routine and preventive dental care closer to the frontline, reducing the need for evacuations and minimising downtime for affected personnel. This demonstrated how mobile, rapidly deployable dental teams could maintain the oral health of a deployed population at risk and prevent dental emergencies from escalating.While designed for military operations, the concept offers insights for civilian dental teams, particularly those practising within remote or austere locations where conventional dental infrastructure is limited. The lessons learned from the exercise, especially around power supply, mobility, and team versatility, are directly translatable to civilian practice making this a valuable case study for dentists interested in global health, emergency response, or mobile dentistry.