Question about Soldiers Teeth

krieg · #1 (**permalink**) April 14th, 2008, 09:11 PM

i wos watching on old ww2 flick the other day and a soldier got taken off the
the frunt line
due to not having enuff teeth .. wos this a true fact in ww2??
best krieg

airborne medic · #2 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2008, 07:14 AM

It has an element of truth.....for example in the early days volunteers for parachuting duties in the British Army had to have at least 8 teeth in both their top and bottom sets.....there are several WW2 pictures of dentists examing volunteers teeth.....one appears in the early pages of the book 'Red Berets and Red Crosses'.....although later on in the war this requirement was dropped and men with dentures could volunteer.....

krieg · #3 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2008, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airborne medic

It has an element of truth.....for example in the early days volunteers for parachuting duties in the British Army had to have at least 8 teeth in both their top and bottom sets.....there are several WW2 pictures of dentists examing volunteers teeth.....one appears in the early pages of the book 'Red Berets and Red Crosses'.....although later on in the war this requirement was dropped and men with dentures could volunteer.....

hi airborne
thanks for the info on this subject good to know the old hollywood film
had some truth to it .. best krieg...

JCFalkenbergIII · #4 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2008, 05:26 PM

Sounds like the 1949 film "Battleground" with Private Kippton (Douglas Fowley) always losing his false teeth.

Slipdigit · #5 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2008, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCFalkenbergIII

Sounds like the 1949 film "Battleground" with Private Kippton (Douglas Fowley) always losing his false teeth.

That is who I was thinking of. click click click.

I remember reading years ago that infantrymen had to have sufficient teeth to tear open individual paper powder bags when loading old muskets. It's been a while, seems like it was in the mid to late 1800s, maybe even a British Army requirement?

Anyone familiar with this?

PzJgr · #6 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2008, 07:50 PM

An indepth website on military dentistry. Pretty much says minimum of 3 front (incisor)teeth and 3 rear (molars) teeth on each jaw (total 12)

United States Army Dental Services in World War II: Operation of the Dental Service- General Considerations

Quote:

In time of peace the Army tends to establish physical standards for military service which cannot be maintained in time of emergency. This policy is not inconsistent since it ensures that time and money will not be wasted in training poor physical specimens, but when these rigid standards are carried over into a general mobilization difficulties may result.

The dental standards for full military duty which were in effect at the end of the First World War were not significantly altered prior to World War II. The early Mobilization Regulations (MR 1-9, dated 31 August 1940) which established the physical criteria to be used by Selective Service in time of emergency, prescribed dental requirements which were substantially the same as those published in AR 40-105 for the Regular Army in time of peace. Section VII of these regulations reads as follows:

DENTAL REQUIREMENTS
31. Classes 1-A and 1-B.-a. Class 1-A.

(1) Normal teeth and gums.

(2) A minimum of 3 serviceable natural masticating teeth above and three below opposing and three serviceable natural incisors above and three below opposing. (Therefore the minimum requirements consist of a total of 6 mastleating teeth and 6 incisor teeth.) All of these teeth must be so opposed as to serve the purpose of incision and mastication.

(3) Definitions.

(a) The term "masticating teeth" includes molar and bicuspid teeth and the term "incisors" includes incisor and cuspid teeth.

(b) A natural tooth which is carious (one with a cavity), which can be restored by filling, is to be considered a serviceable natural tooth.

(c) Teeth which have been restored by crowns or dummies attached to bridge-work, if well placed will he considered as serviceable natural teeth when the history and appearance of these teeth are such as to clearly warrant such assumption.

b. Class 1-B. Insufficient teeth to qualify for class I-A, if corrected by suitable dentures.

32. Class 4.-a. Irremediable disease of the gums of such severity as to interfere seriously with useful vocation in civil life.

b. Serious disease of the jaw which is not easily remediable and which is likely to incapacitate the registrant for satisfactory performance of general or limited military service.

c. Extensive focal infection with multiple periapical abscess, the correction of which would require protracted hospitalization and incapacity.

d. Extensive irremediable caries.

JCFalkenbergIII · #7 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2008, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipdigit

That is who I was thinking of. click click click.

I remember reading years ago that infantrymen had to have sufficient teeth to tear open individual paper powder bags when loading old muskets. It's been a while, seems like it was in the mid to late 1800s, maybe even a British Army requirement?

Anyone familiar with this?

I loved it when he was sleeping and clicking LOL

krieg · #8 (**permalink**) April 15th, 2008, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCFalkenbergIII

Sounds like the 1949 film "Battleground" with Private Kippton (Douglas Fowley) always losing his false teeth.

you picked in one .jc. well done a good old ww2 film all ways losing his teeth
and the other fellow with his boots
best krieg