The Source for Navy News
USS Abraham Lincoln’s Dental Department Keeps Battle
Group Sailors Smiling
Story Number: NNS030108-04
Release Date:
1/8/2003 12:23:00 PM
By Journalist 2nd Class Ryan Hicks, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs
ABOARD USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- Dental care is one
quality-of-life issue USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Sailors don’t have to
worry about. The dental department aboard has just about everything any
civilian dentist’s office would have.
Personnel here can have
everything done from simple procedures such as routine cleanings to major
surgeries like getting wisdom teeth pulled. Sailors on other ships in the
battle group aren’t so lucky.
Because of the other ships’ limited
size and capacity, most only have one independent duty corpsman, or IDC,
that has the training to handle simple dental emergencies.
Sailors
aboard smaller ships generally get all of their dentistry done before
going on deployment, and barring an emergency, have to wait until
returning to have any other work done.
In rare cases of emergency,
Sailors from other ships must be airlifted via helicopter to Lincoln for
surgeries or cases of major pain.
This deployment, Abraham
Lincoln’s dental department offered a service for the first time that
helped to alleviate some of the logistical pain of distant sore teeth --
instead of having the Sailors fly to the Lincoln, the Lincoln flew to
them.
With a set of equipment resembling the type used by Marines
in tent cities, seven local Sailors went to USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Mobile
Bay (CG 53) and USS Fletcher (DD 992) to offer any takers the chance for
some more technical toothy expertise.
Lt. Anurag Patel, dental
department’s division officer, Lt. David Haugen, Abe’s assistant dental
officer, Dental Technician 3rd Class (SW/AW) Robert Willis, Dental
Technician 3rd Class Debra Green, Dentalman Connell Fead, Dentalman
Greshawn Kendrick and Dentalman Quang Huynh all took part in the “Have
Chair, Will Travel” operation recently.
For three days in October,
Haugen, Willis and Fead went to the Mobile Bay; for four days in November,
Patel, Willis, and Kendrick went to the Shiloh; and for five days in
December, Green and Huynh went to Fletcher to help spread the smile that
is mobile dentistry.
Together, they saw more than 130 patients and
performed tasks ranging from routine cleanings to repairing fillings to
examinations. The ships prepared for the dentists’ arrivals with notes in
their plan of the days and announcements over the 1-MC.
“Clean and
happy teeth – arriving.” With the gear aboard and unpacked, within 20
minutes, the traveling dental crews could unfold and set up the unit,
generator, chair and instruments and be ready to go.
Patel and
Haugen did their work in medical spaces and a training classroom,
respectively, and worked with the IDCs who set up appointments for annual
exams. They also handled any emergency that happened during their
stay.
“We were a little limited as to what we could do,” said
Patel, “because we didn’t have an X-ray machine available, but that said,
we did as much as we could in the time available.”
The two officers
were impressed with their treatment aboard the other ships. “Some of the
ships really rolled the red carpet out for us,” said Haugen. “It almost
felt like we were being treated like distinguished visitors.”
“It
was good to break the monotony of the carrier and experience something
new,” said Patel. “But after a few days out there,” added Haugen, “it was
good to be back.”
For the times the dental teams were away from the
Lincoln, there were no real setbacks aboard, as the trips had been planned
and scheduled to prevent any low manning. “Our ship really is supposed to
support the dental needs of the entire battle group,” said
Patel.
“Our trip away did nothing to compromise the mission we have
aboard the Lincoln,” added Haugen. “Our travel just went to help our
battle group’s collective dental readiness numbers to
improve.”
Overall, the trip left a positive impression with the
dental crew. It was the first time personnel had ever used the mobile
dentistry unit, and its success will help determine the options for the
future.
No other trips are planned out specifically this
deployment, but the possibility is out there.
“It was good to get
the chance to give more Sailors the opportunity to get the dental care
they wanted,” said Patel. “And I’d definitely be willing to do this
again.”
For related news, visit the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)
Navy NewsStand page at http://www.news.navy.mil/local/cvn72/.
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