Arkansas Army National Guard opens dental clinic

Story by John Oldham

Arkansas National Guard Public Affairs Office

CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Army National Guard is bridging the gap on Soldiers oral health by opening its own in-house dental clinic here Dec. 8, 2024, becoming just the fourth state National Guard nationwide to authorize Army Guard dentists to treat Guardsmen in drill or annual training status.

Two rooms in the Troop Medical Clinic are designated to provide dental care to help keep Soldiers worldwide qualified and dentally ready to deploy by performing a limited scale of dental treatments, such as fillings and cleanings.

“This is a game changer for the Arkansas Army National Guard,” said Col. Clint Miller, Arkansas Army National Guard Medical Command commander. “The Dental Treatment Facility not only provides us with an additional capability, but it also contains current state-of-the-art equipment that exceeds many current operating civilian clinics.”

The colonel said it’s an additional win, as well, because now Arkansas Army National Guard dentists will be practicing their civilian profession in drill status and during annual training, too.

“That’s huge,” he said. “We typically only see this when in a Title 10 status deployed. The Arkansas Army National Guard has some phenomenal dentists that not only have very successful practices in the civilian sector, but now the Soldiers can benefit from these professionals as well and at no charge.”

Initial equipment purchases to create the dental clinic, plus operating supplies to provide treatments cost roughly $250,000, but it’s a small investment Guard officials expect will return big dividends with increased dental readiness.

The Arkansas National Guard’s Dental Readiness Program consists of three sections focusing on the force’s overall dental health. The first section is an annual dental exam, which all Soldiers undergo as part of the annual periodic health assessment at the Arkansas Medical Readiness Detachment. The dental exam determines which dental readiness classification the Soldier is classified as. The Guardsman will be assigned as a DRC 1, 2, or 3, respectively. Soldiers classified as a DRC 1 or 2 are considered deployable within 12 months and receive a “Go” for dental during their PHA. Soldiers classified as DRC 3 fall into one of the other sections of the program.

A subsection of the annual dental exam is the DD Form 2813 (Proof of Dental Examination). The DD Form 2813 allows Soldiers to “bypass” the dental exam conducted during the PHA. If a Soldier has had a civilian dental exam within the last 90 days and is classified as a DRC 1 or 2, they can have this form completed and submitted during the PHA to fulfill their annual dental exam requirement.

The Arkansas National Guard’s new dental treatment program is the second section of the Arkansas National Guard Dental Readiness Program. It offers real-time dental treatment for soldiers with DRC 3 conditions, such as cleanings, fillings, and simple extractions, the colonel said. The Camp Robinson Troop Medical Clinic has two rooms designated and renovated as a dental treatment facility. The clinic is staffed during drill weekends and annual training periods and can treat 15 to 20 Soldiers a day. The dentists are clinically trained, certified in the state they practice, and credentialed with the National Guard Bureau. Their assistants are MOS-qualified 68E dental specialists trained by the Army and LDTP staff to prepare and arrange dental instruments, administer X-rays, manage patient records, and perform preventive maintenance.

The third component of the program is the Arkansas National Guard Paid Dental Program, which enables Army Guardsmen to receive more complex dental treatments, such as root canals and wisdom teeth extractions at a civilian dental clinic of their choice. This program allows Guardsmen to select a familiar clinic closer to their home of record, ensuring a more convenient treatment experience. Once an appointment is made, Guardsmen notify the medical detachment staff, who handle all the necessary paperwork, records updates, and payments.

“The new Arkansas Paid Dental Program replaces the old process and provides our Soldiers with real-time capability to receive care for those higher-level dental conditions,” the colonel said. “So far, this program in its entirety is working very well and has driven the DRC3 population down to 2.3%, which is below the required NGB metrics, and is continuing to gain momentum on resolving identified DRC3 issues. This is an exciting time and great breakthrough for Arkansas Army National Guard dentistry. Most importantly it provides our Soldiers with ability to receive the proper dental care that they deserve.”