Dental treatment profile of New Zealand Defence Force personnel.

Objective: To evaluate the dental treatment provided over one year to serving personnel and new entrants in the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).

Method: Dental treatment data from 4,380 personnel in the 12 months following their last annual dental examination were retrieved and evaluated from electronic data archives. These included all treatment provided for 2000 randomly-selected regular serving personnel and for all 2380 new entrants entering the Service in the years 2005 and 2006.

Results: Treatment data were recorded for 1770 (88.5%) of the 2000 serving personnel in the year following their last dental examination. Excluding examinations and radiographs, treatments averaged 2.3 per person. Amalgam and composite restorations contributed 40%, preventive and oral hygiene services 44%, and tooth extractions 6% of treatments; the "other" category amounted to 10% of treatments. For the 2380 new entrants, treatment data were recorded for 1959 (82.3%) during their first year of service. Treatments averaged 3.6 per person; amalgam and composite restorations contributed 58%, preventive and oral hygiene services 25%, and extractions 10%. The remaining 10% of treatment items recorded comprised a diverse range of procedures.

Conclusions: The level of treatment provided was low for both serving personnel and new entrants. Ninety percent of teeth were present and functional. Amalgam and composite restorations, preventive care and oral hygiene procedures made up the majority of treatment provided.