A Description of the Dental Health and Treatment of Ukraine Military at U.S. Army Clinics in Germany.

Introduction: Since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war, most reports have focused on trauma and combat conditions. Trauma care is essential; however, disease and nonbattle injuries (DNBIs) also burden armies and reduce combat effectiveness. Dental emergencies (DEs) account for a substantial portion of DNBI, but there is limited information on Ukrainian military dental readiness. In September 2023, investigators were informed that Ukrainian military personnel were treated for DEs at 2 dental clinics in Germany.

Materials and methods: The investigators requested deidentified data from the Corporate Dental System (CDS), which is a repository for dental treatment records utilized by the U.S. Army. The data request captured DE treatment performed for Ukrainian military personnel in Germany from January 1, 2023, to September 20, 2023. The CDS report on DE encounters included the following: Gender, age, procedure codes, and provider narratives. This study was approved by the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Institutional Review Board as research not involving human subjects and provided Log Number H-24-030nh.

Results: The CDS report captured 408 Ukrainian military DE encounters. A total of 360 Ukrainian military personnel were treated for DE during the 9-month reporting period in 2023. Oral surgery was the most common DE treatment category and accounted for 55.8% (N = 201) of DE procedures. Restorative dentistry procedures accounted for 18.1% of DE procedures. Of the 27 multiple category treatments, 25 had oral surgery procedures as one of the treatments. Restorative dentistry procedures were performed in 19 of the multiple category cases.

Conclusions: The DEs in the Ukrainian military cohort suggest that chronic, untreated dental disease has progressed without routine care for years. The assertion that caries has progressed to a nonrestorable condition is supported by the distribution that 63% of all DE visits included oral surgery treatment. Based on the distribution of dental treatment, US dental officers must be proficient in oral surgery and prosthodontic care.