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Dental Specialists

Dental care is one of the health services provided to all military personnel. It is available in military dental clinics all over the world. Dental specialists assist military dentists in examining and treating patients. They also help manage dental offices.

What They Do:

Dental specialists in the military perform some or all of the following duties:

Help dentists perform oral surgery
Prepare for patient examinations by selecting and arranging instruments and medications
Help dentists during examinations by preparing dental compounds and operating dental equipment
Clean patients' teeth using scaling and polishing instruments and equipment
Operate dental X-ray equipment and process X-rays of patients' teeth, gums, and jaws
Provide guidance to patients on daily care of their teeth
Perform administrative duties, such as scheduling office visits, keeping patient records, and ordering dental supplies

Helpful Attributes:

Helpful school subjects include biology and chemistry. Helpful attributes include:

Ability to follow spoken instructions and detailed procedures
Good eye-hand coordination
Interest in working with people

Work Environment:

Dental specialists in the military usually work indoors in dental offices or clinics. Some specialists may be assigned to duty aboard ships.

Training Provided:

Job training consists of classroom instruction, including practice in dental care tasks. Further training occurs on the job and through advanced courses. Course content typically includes: