CDA Essentials 2014 • Volume 1 • Issue 3 - page 16

16 | Volume1 Issue3
News and Events
100
The Royal CanadianDental Corps in
WORLDWAR II:1939–1945
Despite the significant contributionof
theCanadianArmyDental Corps (CADC)
duringWorldWar I,most of theCADC
wasdisbandedwhen thewar ended,
leavingonlya fewdental officers thinly
scattered throughoutmedical units.
This arrangement came toanend in
1938whenCDA, at its annualmeeting in
Vancouver, adopteda report onmilitary
dentistryand forwarded it to theMinister
ofNational Defence. Incalling for an
autonomousmilitaryunit, the report
recommended that:
“...defencedental services shouldbedirectly
under theAdjutantGeneral’sDepartment,
notunder theDirectorofMedical Services
and that theAssociation, as representing
CanadianDentistry, beallowed toname the
DirectorofDental Services”
TheCanadiangovernment accepted these
recommendations and subsequently
disbanded theCADC, replacing itwith the
CanadianDental Corps (CDC). Dr. Stephen
Moore, president of CDAat the time,was
asked tobring forward theAssociation’s
choice for adirector of thenewlycreated
CDC. That nomineewasDr. FrankM. Lott,
whobecame theappointedDirector of
Dental Services for theCorps.
Furthermore, theword “Army”was
removed from thename to recognize the
roleof theDental Corps in supportingall
threebranchesof theCanadianForces:
theArmy, Air ForceandNavy. Thenewly
formedCDC immediatelyhad to face the
challengeofmobilizing forWorldWar II.
Elevendental companieswere formed
throughoutCanada, onepermilitary
district.
InOctober 1941, $1750wasdonated to
purchase thefirst of 184mobiledental
At the end ofWorldWar II, theCDChad
over5000members,more thanhalf ofwhom
haddeployed overseas.
Canada’smilitarydental serviceshave lookedaftertheoralhealth
needsofCanada’stroops inbothWorldWars,Korea,Afghanistan
andmanyotherpeacemaking,peacekeeping,humanitarianand
forensicoperations. Inthe lead-uptothe100thanniversaryofthe
RoyalCanadianDentalCorps(RCDC) in2015, thisarticle isthe
second inaseriesthatwillbringto lightthehistoryoftheRCDC
overthe lastcentury,celebratingtheheritage, accomplishments
anddedicationofthedental servicespersonneloftheCanadian
ArmedForces.
ishonoured
topublisha regular series
of articles, leadingup
to thecelebrationof
RCDC's 100thanniversary.
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