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Volume 2 Issue 2
100
is honoured
to publish a regular series
of articles, leading up
to the celebration of
RCDC's 100th anniversary.
The Royal Canadian Dental Corps:
HUMANITARIAN AID &
DISASTER RELIEF
Canada’s military dental services have looked after the oral health
needs of Canada’s troops in bothWorldWars, Korea, Afghanistan,
and served onmany other peacemaking, peacekeeping, humanitarian
and forensic operations. In the lead-up to the 100th anniversary of
the Royal CanadianDental Corps (RCDC) inMay 2015, this article
is the eighth in a series that will bring to light the history of the RCDC
over the last century, celebrating the heritage, accomplishments
and dedication of the dental services personnel of theCanadian
Armed Forces.
Over the years, Canadian military dental
personnel have fulfilled their duties during
times of peace and war, at home and
abroad. Beyond providing oral health
care to ensure the operational readiness
and rehabilitation of Canadian Armed
Forces (CAF) soldiers, sailors and aviators,
RCDC personnel have also played a role in
providing international humanitarian aid
and disaster relief.
Canadian expeditionary missions often
occur in countries ravaged by years of
war, accompanied by the destruction
of infrastructure and basic services like
health care. As a result, RCDC members
attached to CAF task forces deployed on
peacekeeping, peacemaking or combat
missions have been called upon to provide
care to the local civilian population. This
responsibility, secondary to the duty of
caring for CAF soldiers, can sometimes put
RCDC personnel at increased personal risk.
In the former Yugoslavia, RCDC dental
teams visited remote villages, orphanages
and hospitals, where oral health care
providers had not been for years. There,
they treated survivors of the conflict, the
often forgotten victims.
In Somalia, Captain Glen Joyce, while
serving aboard the HMCS PRESERVER,
received the Chief of the Defence Staff
Commendation for travelling regularly into
Mogadishu to provide care to the local
population and train local hospital staff.
In Afghanistan, Major Mike Kaiser received
the Meritorious Service Medal for his
implementation of numerous partnership
and capacity-building projects, which were
seen to have enhanced local oral health
care in Kandahar.
Canada has deployed military forces
to assist Haiti on numerous occasions.
Following the earthquake in Haiti in 2010,
a dental team deployed to Haiti with
members of 1 Canadian Field Hospital
as part of Operation HESTIA. The dental
team provided urgent care to local civilian
victims of the earthquake and routine
care to deployed CAF members who were
providing health and infrastructure support
to the local population.
Since 2006, RCDC personnel have
collaborated with the U.S. Navy on
humanitarian and civil assistance missions.
These missions provide medical and dental
services to underserviced populations in
the Caribbean-South American basin and
Indo-Pacific region, as part of Exercise
Continuing Promise and Exercise Pacific
Partnership respectively.
While deployed aboard the USS PEARL
HARBOR on Exercise Pacific Partnership
2013, Major Sophie Toupin was appointed
as the lead for the multinational dental
team, comprising 45 military and civilian
dental personnel from around the world.
Her team undertook dental operations at
seventeen different sites in Samoa, Tonga
and the Republic of Marshall Islands.
N
ews and
E
vents