Why WWII Changed the Way we Take Care of Our Teeth

If you brush your teeth twice a day, you should thank Walter Vail.  Never heard of him?  I'm not surprised. Yet this forward thinking dentist, who was part of the army (eventually a Colonel), changed everything--at least as far as American's dental hygiene was concerned.

Lt. Col. Walter Vail
Photo courtesy: History of Dentistry in the
US Army to WWII p. 766

In 1933, after World War I but some 6 years before World War II, the top leadership in the Dental Corp of the army changed.  A retiring colonel left and the open spot was filled by Rex Rhodes, who brought in a smart young dentist, then Major Walter D. Vail, as his assistant.

"As the assistant for clinical operations, Vail had intimate knowledge of all facets of the [Army's] dental service." (History of Dentistry in the US Army to World War II, p 764)  Between 1933-1934, after analyzing over 6000 dental records, Vail wrote several articles about what a poor job the Army was doing of taking care of soldiers' teeth and ultimately outlined a system that would do a better job of teaching preventative measures for dental care.

His idea was a 4 step system for fixing army dental care.  Step 1 was to bring in recruits with fewer pre-existing problems.  (During WWI, you needed only 12 serviceable teeth to enlist in the army, whereas the for the Navy you had to have 20 good teeth.) Step 2, get more dentists to provide adequate care.  Step 3 was really the key--to start a dental health training program.  The final step was to extend services and training to civilians under army care, largely the soldiers' families.

Vail was very convincing and his policy was adopted by the army.  WWII began in 1939 and ended in 1945.  After V-day thousands of soldiers returned to civilian life with a habit of good dental hygiene. They continued brushing their teeth and taught their families to do the same.  It was a catching habit and soon Americans at large were brushing their teeth regularly and seeing dentists to help preserve their teeth.

Thanks to Colonel Vail's work, edentulism or the loss of all natural teeth, has fallen from 50% of those 65+ needing dentures in 1950 to only 28% in 2008.  Improvements in implants, crowns, sealants and more have helped Americans keep their teeth longer.  But when you head to bed tonight, and stop to brush your teeth first, think of Walter Vail and the difference one person can make.