Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea –
The 8th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron Dental Flight remains dedicated to protecting the dental health of all Soldiers and ensuring their optimal performance in daily operations.
The Dental Flight ensures appropriate dental care for all soldiers on base by providing preventative and restorative dental treatments.
“Our dental clinic has several key areas,” said Tech. Sgt. Quentin Blash, 8th OMRS noncommissioned officer in charge of the dental clinic. “We have a reception area where all dental records are kept and patients are admitted, a central instrument processing center for cleaning and sterilization tools, and a dental lab for same-day crowns. We also manage 1.2k critical positions in our logistics area and have an expanded treatment area for surgeries.”
Blash said that to keep track of each Soldier’s dental care status, the dental squadron works with each squadron’s respective health supervisor, command support staff and first sergeant to schedule dental needs and treatments in a timely manner.
“At each member’s annual checkup, we provide appropriate nutritional and health counseling to ensure (the staff) is paying attention to their dental hygiene,” Blash said. “When you come in for the checkup, we also provide you with hard night guards, sports guards and dental floss if needed.”
According to Blash, the dental clinic treats about 450 patients per month.
Every area of the dental clinic is critical to patient care, starting with the use of the right equipment.
“As infection control leaders, we sterilize all instruments that come in from various clinics for procedures,” said Senior Airman James Marc Tychingco, 8th OMRS infection control leader. “Another focus is proper wearing of personal protective equipment to prevent people from getting sick. The ability to follow instructions on how to use the equipment is an essential part of our daily procedures to maintain the readiness of base personnel.”
Thanks to the 8th OMRS Dental Flight’s unwavering commitment to prioritizing dental care, the Wolfpack remains well equipped to maintain its daily operations and achieve its mission objectives.
