MISSION
The Fort Riley Dental Health Activity is a group of professionals dedicated to the provision of timely and reliable dental care to the Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division. The DENTAC is focused on increasing and maintaining warfighter readiness. This is accomplished by employing a team-based approach grounded in ethical decisions, mutual respect, and trust.
VISION
Excellence, everyday.
All Clinics have resumed normal operations and are back to
servicing their assigned patient populations.
DENTAC is calling servicemembers to schedule appointments for exams. Patrons seeking emergency or routine treatment may call their servicing dental clinic, and will be scheduled appointments as required/available. All dental patrons are still required to follow COVID-19 safety protocol upon arriving at the dental clinic, wash or sanitize hands and wear facemasks at all times inside the clinic unless instructed to remove by dental providers. Personnel feeling COVID like symptoms are required to check with the MTF/PCM prior to arriving at the clinic or call to reschedule their appointment.
DENTAL HEALTH ACTIVITY HISTORY
The Fort Riley Dental Activity (DENTAC) traces its origins to 1917, the year the first Dental Officers were assigned to Fort Riley. Between the World Wars, one Dental Officer at a small dental clinic served a small post population.
However, with the mobilization of World War II, dental clinics were established at Camps Forsyth, Funston, and Whitside to accommodate growing troop concentrations. Throughout the Vietnam era, a dental clinic was also maintained at Schilling Manor in Salina, Kansas, to care for waiting Families of Soldiers involved in that conflict. After that war, the Camp Funston and Schilling Manor clinics were closed.
In the sixties, DENTAC embarked on a building program designed to house dental facilities in permanent structures and to reduce reliance on WWII era "temporary" facilities. Two modern dental clinics were constructed on Custer Hill and one in the newly completed Irwin Army Hospital.
March 1981 marked the completion of Dental Clinic Number 5, a fourteen operatory clinic located on Huebner Road near the hospital. This brought the DENTAC to a total of seventy operatories located in permanent construction, with twenty-six remaining "temporary" facilities.
Always anticipating and supporting the needs of the Fort Riley community, a satellite dental clinic was established in 1987 in the Personnel Processing Center (PPC) and another in support of the United States Army Correctional Activity. Construction of a state of the art twenty-eight operatory dental clinic; Dental Clinic 4, located on First Infantry Division Road began construction in mid-1986, designed to replace the two remaining WWII clinics at Camps Forsyth and Whitside, which closed in October 1988.
The Fort Riley DENTAC has always prided itself for being in the forefront of dentistry. The early seventies saw its capabilities expand with the addition of the specialties of orthodontics, pedodontics, and endodontics, enabling the DENTAC to better support Fort Riley's Dental Activity as a separate major subordinate command of the United States Army Health Service Command. Also established was an accredited graduate dental course, the One-Year General Practice Residency Program, to provide the Army with highly skilled General Dentists.
In 1997, due to military "right sizing" Dental Clinics 1, 3, 4 and PPC were operational and supported Fort Riley's worldwide mission. The orthodontic, and pedodontic services, as well as the Residency Program have been disestablished.
In 2016, Dental Clinic 4 was re-opened after renovations and remodeling to ensure it remained a fully functioning, state-of-the-art dental health care facility. Later that year, the Fort Riley Dental Activity was officially renamed the Fort Riley Dental Health Activity.
Currently, four dental clinics with a total of eighty-five operatories are operational and able to provide support for the wide range of dental health care needs
The Fort Riley Dental Health Activity is proud to serve as the DENTAC for the active duty service members of the "Big Red One" and its garrison partners.
Leadership
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1st Sgt. James Reed IIIFirst Sergeant |
EMERGENCY DENTAL CARE
A dental emergency is defined as an injury or condition with severe pain, bleeding, or infection, which obviously requires immediate attention. During the normal duty day (0730- 1630), soldiers will report to their assigned dental clinic, and family members must contact their civilian dentist. During non-duty days (weekends and holidays), and after normal hours, soldiers will first report to the Irwin Army Community Hospital Emergency Room (Bldg 650), telephone 239-7777, where they will be screened. Family members must first contact their civilian dentist for after-hours emergency dental care. If the civilian dentist cannot be contacted, the family member would then report to the Irwin Army Community Hospital Emergency Room for screening.
URGENT DENTAL CARE
An urgent dental condition is one which causes discomfort such as lost fillings, chipped teeth, minor toothaches, or irritated gums. These conditions are not emergencies, and can be treated with home remedies until the soldier can be seen at their assigned dental clinic during usual sick call hours (0630-0930) on normal duty days. Family members will schedule urgent dental care with their civilian dentist.
ROUTINE DENTAL CARE
Routine dental care is care given for conditions which are not urgent or emergency in nature, and includes periodic examination, oral prophylaxis (tooth cleaning), specialty referrals, and other appointments. Routine care normally begins with the patient reporting to their assigned dental clinic for an oral examination, development of a treatment plan, and establishment of their first appointment. Family members would do this through their civilian dentist. ORTHODONTIC CARE IS NOT AVAILABLE.
DENTAL CLINIC ASSIGNMENT
Active duty soldiers are assigned to a particular dental clinic for urgent and routine dental care according to their unit of assignment. There is no family member "space available care." Therefore, family members of active duty soldiers are strongly encouraged to enroll in the family member dental insurance program. Enrollment may be accomplished through your unit's PAC or finance officer or online at www.tricaredentalprogram.com. Dental records for active duty soldiers are filed at their assigned clinic. A unit's clinic of assignment can be found in information sheets available at each dental clinic on post, or by calling one of the clinics listed below.