New Zealand dental surgery in France during World War I

The Royal New Zealand Dental Corps (RNZDC) is a

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

of the

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

. The corps was initially formed on 7 November 1915 as the ''New Zealand Dental Corps'' under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Hunter, as part of New Zealand's contribution to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The corps was formed from personnel who were transferred from the New Zealand Medical Corps, who were charged with ensuring the dental fitness of New Zealand troops being sent overseas, and for the provision of emergency dental care in the field. The royal designation was adopted in 1947. Today, the corps consists of full-time and part-time commissioned officers and soldiers who are employed in a tri-service environment, using their specialist skills and knowledge as dental officers, dental hygienists and dental assistants. The corps works in conjunction with the

Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps The Royal New Zealand Army Medical Corps (RNZAMC) is a corps of the New Zealand Army, the land branch of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The Medical Corps provides for the medical needs of soldiers, such as diagnosing and treating disease ...

and the

Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps The Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps (RNZNC) is a corps of the New Zealand Army. The corps was initially formed in 1915 from civilian nurses who volunteered for service during World War I, and who were granted honorary officer ranks. A Nursing ...

to promote "health and disease prevention" and to provide "care for the wounded and sick". Throughout the corps' history, personnel have been deployed to various operational theatres. Aside from service during World War I and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the corps has deployed personnel in support of a number of operations including most recently in Afghanistan.

Order of precedence

References

Further reading