Cap Badge - Canadian Army Dental Corps, CEF On 20 Apr 1915 the Canadian Army Dental Corps was created as a corps of the Non-Permanent Active Militia. The corps disbanded on 1 November 1920. The corps was raised again under the same name the next year on 15 June 1921. On 31 August 1939, the corps was redesignated The Canadian Dental Corps, and on the same day a Regular component was created, also designated The Canadian Dental Corps. The Canadian Army Dental Corps is believed by historians to be the first separate military dental service in the world. Individual dental officers had served previously as attachments to Canadian units in the lines of communication (the 1st Canadian Contingent had one dental surgeon unofficially attached to each Stationary and General Hospital). In early 1915, 19 officers and 38 other ranks were serving overseas in a dental capacity. Once authorized in May 1915 by Militia Order 257, the CADC had an authorized strength overseas of 30 officers, 34 NCOs and 40 privates. By 11 November 1918 the CADC had 233 officers, 221 NCOs and 238 privates. CADC personnel eventually performed several functions: •Dental inspections of all Canadian soldiers on arrival in England •Dental inspections of all returning soldiers before embarking for Canada •Provision of normal preventative dental care •Treatment of wounds and trench mouth •Special care for reconstruction surgery in special clinics Organization Dentists in the field operated primarily at field ambulances, casualty clearing stations, General and Stationary Hospitals, and at base camps, forestry and railway units. One dental officer was generally assigned to each of these units. A chief dental surgeon was assigned to each divisional headquarters, a dental surgeon to each brigade of mounted rifles and artillery, two dental surgeons to each infantry brigade, and one to each field ambulance. Divisional Troops and Corps Troops also received two dental officers each. Each dental surgeon had a Batman and an Orderly to assist him. At Le Havre, the Canadian base camp there included a dental store, Canadian Corps dental clinic and a dental laboratory. General clinics were opened in the UK at training centres, command and discharge depots, special hospitals, segregation camps, and in London to care for officers of the Ministry, Overseas Military Forces of Canada. In Canada, each Military District contained facilities for soldiers on leave from overseas who needed emergency treatment as well as a centralized dental store.