A toothwrights' tale

  • E. J. Grant
UK: Chaplin Books price £25.00; pp 300 ISBN 9780956559593 | ISBN: 978-0-9565-5959-3

This is the second volume of A history of dentistry in the Royal Navy. The first volume was written by Nick Daws and John Holland and records the History from 1905 until 1964. Dental officers in the Royal Navy are often addressed as the 'Toothwright' or 'Toothie' by their colleagues and peers and hence the title of this book. This book is a record of the history of the Royal Navy Dental Services (RNDS) and a collection of the memories and experiences of many people who served in it.

This book starts 18 years after the end of World War II and takes the reader through the Cold War, Falklands War and past the Gulf War. It is immediately apparent that the author has done a tremendous amount of research into the existing records and archives of any significant events and changes within the RNDS and of any associated dental surgeons, officers and other naval staff. Each of the ten chapters in the book focuses on a period of time during which these events occurred, against the backdrop of the complications in political changes, economic difficulties, and MoD and healthcare reform and review. Each chapter closely follows high ranking surgeons and a number of officers. The roles they played within the RNDS and the Royal Navy are described and personal accounts from their diaries are included, some of which are quite humorous. Not only did the dental officers, surgeons and hygienists deliver dental care to maintain good oral health in naval and marine officers, but when they were on active duty, they also carried out vital first aid procedures for casualties at the front line.

This book is a refreshing read: it is rather like a history lesson or a documentary of naval dentistry and the Royal Navy. The reader will discover some surprising finds in this book and it is interesting to find out how civilian and naval dentistry and dental education have impacted upon and influenced each other. Compared to the numerous thick and heavy hard-back dental books out there, this is a much more appropriate material for bed-time reading!