WW1 Dentistry: Photograph of RAMC Staff Waiting outside a Dental Surgery

A rare World War I photograph captures two medics of the Royal Army Medical Corps standing outside a makeshift dental surgery, quietly waiting as soldiers inside endure the crude and often painful treatments of the era.

Dental Treatment for Soldiers During WW1

At a time when dentistry was still developing and proper regulation was decades away, many recruits suffered from poor dental health, and extractions were often the only remedy available. This image offers a stark glimpse into an overlooked aspect of wartime life—one where medical improvisation, limited resources and the relentless demands of the front line shaped the daily reality for both patients and the medics who treated them.

In more detail, this rare photograph shows two medics of the Royal Army Corps waiting outside a dentist’s surgery during World War 1. Dental treatment dished out within, would likely have been basic and unpleasant.

Medics of the Royal Army Waiting outside A Dental Surgery during WW1

Early 20th‑century Dental Practices in wartime

Dentistry during this time was in its infancy. Many recruits for the armed forces were rejected because of poor dental health due to ignorance. Dentistry in the United Kingdom was not properly regulated until 1921. And even then, volunteers and unqualified recruits dished out the treatment, due to shortage of qualified dentists.

  

Many recruits would have suffered toothache, which would have resulted in tooth extraction, as there was little other treatment available.

The Royal Army Dental Corps

Even Douglas Haig suffered a bout of toothache during the Battle of Aisne, having no qualified dental surgeons at hand. To guard against a similar fate befalling the troops, mobile dental units were despatched to battlefields to treat dental ailments of the soldiers. This enabled the forces to remain on the field. But it was not until 1923 that the Royal Army Dental Corps was formed.

The British Dental Association continued to print its journal despite the cost of the war. Sharing valuable information about the treatment of facial injuries such as that of the jaw and lower face was vital for dentists working on the field. Antiseptics and ether was widely used.