A literature review of dental casualty rates

The ability to determine dental casualty rates for the Australian Defence F orce in a given situation is vital for military planners. This article revi ews the literature and the available Australian Defence Force data on the s ubject to give some guide to planners. The review found the studies to be f airly consistent in that a well-prepared dentally fit force can expect 150 to 200 dental casualties per 1,000 soldiers per year. If the force were les s prepared, as in the case of a reserve call out, this figure would be like ly to increase; in the extreme case of an ill-prepared force or a force ass isting in humanitarian aid, the emergency rate could be five times that fig ure. The literature also indicates a change in the nature of dental casualt ies. Although maxillofacial cases have remained steady at 25%, dental disea se has decreased and endodontic cases have had a corresponding increase.