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Volume1 Issue5
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ews and
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vents
The Royal CanadianDental Corps:
UNIFICATIONAND
UNITEDNATIONSOPERATIONS
CanadianArmedForces
Unification, 1968
In1968, theRoyal CanadianNavy,
CanadianArmy, andRoyal CanadianAir
Forceweremerged intoone service:
theCanadianArmedForces. AsRCDC
personnelwerealreadyprovidingdental
care toall three services, unificationhad
minimal impact on their operations.
However, RCDCwas reorganized into the
Dental Branch, renamed theCanadian
ForcesDental Services (CFDS), and issueda
newcapbadge.
Inhis letter of congratulationson the
occasionof the50thanniversaryof the
Dental Corps, theHonourablePaul Hellyer,
Minister ofNational Defenceat the time,
commented: “The tri-service roleof
theCorps since1939haspermitted the
readyadoptionof new techniques and
equipment andhas resulted inahigh
standardof dental treatment toall three
servicesonanequitablebasis. It has thus
required littlemodification inorder to
adapt to theunificationof theCanadian
Forces.”
UnitedNationsEmergency
ForceMiddleEast
(UNEF II)1973–1979
In1973, theSecondUnitedNations
EmergencyForce (UNEF II)was established
in theMiddleEast to supervise the
ceasefirebetweenEgyptianand Israeli
forces and, after 1975, to supervise the
redeployment of Egyptianand Israeli
forces andcontrol thebuffer zones.
Headquartered in Ismailia, Egypt, troops
weredeployed to theSuezCanal sector
and, later, theSinai Peninsula.
In support ofUNEF II, theRCDCdeployed
dental teams to theMiddleEast. TheRCDC
clinic startedout ina tent,moved toa
race-trackobservation tower inaCairo
suburbandfinally settled inabuilding in
Ismailia.
The tri-service role of theCorps since 1939has permitted the
readyadoption of new techniques and equipment andhas
resulted inahigh standard of dental treatment toall three
services onan equitable basis.
Canada’smilitarydental serviceshave lookedaftertheoral
healthneedsofCanada’stroops inbothWorldWars,Korea,
Afghanistanandmanyotherpeacemaking,peacekeeping,
humanitarianand forensicoperations. Inthe lead-uptothe
100thanniversaryoftheRoyalCanadianDentalCorps(RCDC)
in2015, thisarticle isthe fourth inaseriesthatwillbringto light
thehistoryoftheRCDCoverthe lastcentury,celebratingthe
heritage,accomplishmentsanddedicationofthedental services
personneloftheCanadianArmedForces(CAF).
