Dental Specialist (91E)
- Enlisted
- Active Duty
- Army Reserve
Everyone needs proper dental care. Army Soldiers aren’t any different. Fortunately, dental care is one of the health services provided to Army personnel all over the world. Dental Specialists are essential members of the Army dental care team. They assist Army dentists in the examination and treatment of patients, as well as help manage dental offices.
The Dental Specialist is primarily responsible for assisting Army dentists in the examination and treatment of patients, while also helping to manage dental offices. Some of your duties as a Dental Specialist may include:
- Helping dentists perform oral surgery
- Preparing for patient examinations by selecting and arranging instruments and medications
- Assisting with the administration of anesthesia
- Performing maintenance on dental equipment
- Operating resuscitative equipment
- Loading and unloading radiographic film cassettes
- Helping dentists during examinations by preparing dental compounds and operating dental equipment
- Cleaning patients’ teeth using scaling and polishing instruments and equipment
- Operating dental X-ray equipment
- Processing X-rays of patients’ teeth, gums and jaws
- Providing guidance to patients on daily care of their teeth
- Performing administrative duties, such as scheduling office visits, keeping patient records and ordering dental supplies
Training:
Job training for a Dental Specialist consists of nine weeks of Basic Training, where you’ll learn basic Soldiering skills, and nine to 14 weeks of Advanced Individual Training, including practice in dental care tasks. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field. Some of the skills you learn are:
- Preventive dentistry
- Radiology (X-ray) techniques
- Dental office procedures
- Dental hygiene procedures
Helpful Skills:
Helpful attributes include:
- An interest in biology and chemistry
- An interest in helping others
- Good hand-eye coordination
- An ability to follow spoken instructions and detailed procedures
- An interest in working with people
Advanced Responsibilities:
Advanced level Dental Specialists supervise and train the other Soldiers within the same discipline. As an advanced level Dental Specialist, you may be involved in:
- Ordering and receiving dental supplies and equipment
- Supervising the packing, unpacking, set-up and storage of dental unit field equipment and shelters
- Assisting in the presentation of training programs
- Preparing sites for field dental treatment facilities
- Assisting with the technical and administrative management of dental-treatment facilities under the supervision of a dental officer
