Dental Assignment Locations

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honkietrash

honkietrash

Father and Army Dentist
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I've spent dozens of hours looking for information about possible dental assignments for the ARMY with little success, especially concerning overseas bases. I feel like it would benefit A LOT of people to create a discussion about possible base assignments based on experience or even hearsay to help prospective and current Army dentists to obtain some form of familiarity. I hope this thread can become that.

More specifically, I personally am looking for more information about serving in Korea. Korea.amedd.army lists 9 dental clinics in various parts of the country. Does anyone have any experience serving at a dental clinic in Korea? Is it family friendly? Will my young family be ok?

As of right now, as an HSPS dental student transitioning into Army dentistry, the current list of possible assignments includes:

Bethesda, Washington D.C.
Ft. Hood TX (AEGD-2)
Ft. Myer VA
Ft Sam Houston TX
Ft. Huachuca AZ
Ft. Belvoir VA
Ft. Bliss TX
Carlisle Barracks PA
Ft. Carson CO (AEGD-1)
Ft. Leonard Wood MO
Ft. Polk LA
Ft. Meade MD
Ft. Eustis VA
Aberdeen Proving Grounds MD
Ft. Drum NY
Ft. Leavenworth KS
Ft. Riley KS
Ft. Lee CA
Ft. Sill OK (AEGD-1)
Ft. Knox KY
Ft. Lewis WA (AEGD-1)
West Point NY
Monterrey (Presidio) CA
Ft. Irwin
Ft. Benning GA (AEGD-1)
Ft. Stewart
Ft. Rucker AL
Hunter Army AFB GA
Ft. Campbell KY (AEGD-1)
Ft. Jackson SC (AEGD-1)
Ft. Bragg NC (AEGD-2)
Ft. Gordon GA
Elgin AFB FL
Ft. Detrick MD
Ft. Story VA
Redstone AL
Virginia/NCR-googled and says it was closed in 2013


OCONUS

Ft. Richardson AK
Ft. Wainwright AK
Tripler HI (AEGD-2)
Europe
Italy
Brussels
Germany
Japan
Korea
Sinai
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia

Last thing. I started a google doc doing the same thing for the school i went to for dental school and had some good input. Feel free to view and edit although this thread would be much more visible for anyone looking.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ohA8AOX6oIbCHKtl_UJCRiOSE77oFYh2J7H0bmMEoTo/edit?usp=sharing
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How does specializing affect where you can be stationed? Which bases do not have specialists?
 
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coolslugs said:
How does specializing affect where you can be stationed? Which bases do not have specialists?
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If you get accepted into a specialty, you will go to that location straight out of school for a year to work and then start the residency. There are many without a residency. It is easier to list the ones that do, based on what you are specifically looking for. Please provide more information.
 
AirborneDentist said:
If you get accepted into a specialty, you will go to that location straight out of school for a year to work and then start the residency. There are many without a residency. It is easier to list the ones that do, based on what you are specifically looking for. Please provide more information.
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If you do a traditional specialty (not 2yr AEGD), which bases would you be able to go? In other words, are you more likely to end up at larger bases as a specialist, will there still be opportunities to be stationed abroad (Korea, Japan, Italy etc.), and which bases do not have specialists?
 
1) If you are referring to where you would go to if you were going to begin doing a specialty after dental school then:

- Perio - Ft. Gordon, Ga
- Prosth- Ft. Gordon, Ga
- Endo - Ft. Gordan, Ga or Ft. Bragg, NC
- Ortho - San Antonio, Tx
- OMFS - Bethesda, MD; Ft. Bliss, Tx; Ft. Gordon, Ga; Hawaii; Ft. Lewis, Wa; Ft. Bragg, NC
- 2 yr AEGD - Ft. Bragg, NC; Ft. Hood, Tx; Hawaii
- Pedo - Dallas, Tx

The other specialities (Public Health and Oral Pathology) typically do not take HPSP students right out of school

2) If your question was referring to where you can be stationed once you graduate from a specialty, then it varies by year based upon what spots are open. Some specialties only have one of that specialty at a base, so it is not open until the person moves. It is a constantly changing picture year by year.

As a general rule of thumb large bases have all of the specialities, sometimes multiple of each. Any location that has a 1 or 2 yr AEGD has all of the specialities to support the program. Medium and smaller bases vary with what complement of specialists they may have.
 
If you do a 1-year AEGD, when do you find out what base you'll go to after you're finished the 1 year program (I'm assuming you don't just stay at the AEGD base)? Is this decided when you receive the acceptance to the AEGD, or sometime at the end of the AEGD year?
 
Excuse me, but can anyone explain to me what the asterisks mean in the document provided above? I can't seem to find the legend. Thanks!
 
Last edited:
How are we informed of our assignment location? Is it via AKO? Email? Mail? Thanks!
 
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ktran17 said:
Excuse me, but can anyone explain to me what the asterisks mean in the document provided above? I can't seem to find the legend. Thanks!
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* Location not available at this time.

**If you select one of these locations, you are stating you are available for any location within that geographic area. Possible locations in Europe: Germany, Belgium, and Italy. If you are not comfortable with any location in that country or continent, please do not put it as a preference. Family members can be assigned with the officer to Korea or Europe, but required approval paperwork cannot be submitted until after the officer arrives to BOLC. This paperwork can take up to 3 months to process which may result in the officer moving overseas initially without their family. The family will follow on after the paperwork is approved. If you are not comfortable with this risk, do not rank Europe or Korea high on your list.

Keep in mind, the asterisks were from the 2014 application cycle so they wouldn't apply the same way today.
 
Does anyone know about working on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands? there is a base there but i dont see it as a possible assignment location? I speak, read, and write marshallese fluently and would dive on any opportunity to work there
 
How many Army dentists are in Japan? Which specialists can be stationed there?
 
Are these all equally likely/available for assignment (Fort Myer, for instance) or are some bases much more likely than others? I was under the impression that most new graduates had a much higher chance of being sent to Fort Bragg or Fort Gordon for instance.
 
how likely would it be to get placements like Korea/Japan if ranked high in one's preference??
 
InformMe123 said:
how likely would it be to get placements like Korea/Japan if ranked high in one's preference??
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All assignments are possible depending on the number of people leaving a location and the number of dentists we can put into a location.

If you want a location, just put it on the list. This year, we could have put more people in Korea if more would have requested it
 
How is the availability of assignments in Europe looking? I know the Army has been cutting back in numbers over there, especially in Germany, but we are really hoping there is still pretty good chance to get stationed there right out of dental school.
 
Dentallawyer said:
How is the availability of assignments in Europe looking? I know the Army has been cutting back in numbers over there, especially in Germany, but we are really hoping there is still pretty good chance to get stationed there right out of dental school.
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Same. We still have many officers in Germany, Italy, etc. It all depends on how many are eligible to move. If there are some moving (most likely), your chances of going there are increased.
 
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@AirborneDentist what are the OCONUS assignments that fresh grads are likely to get (if requested)? Like for the Navy, it is Japan, Diego Garcia, etc. Any such thing on the Army side?
 
Incis0r said:
@AirborneDentist what are the OCONUS assignments that fresh grads are likely to get (if requested)? Like for the Navy, it is Japan, Diego Garcia, etc. Any such thing on the Army side?
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The biggest bases will always pull in the biggest numbers, so I would always say that places like Ft. Hood, Bragg, Bliss, Campbell, Lewis, ect are higher on the list. I've seen a few get Germany straight out of school, but those who already have time in the service might get a little higher priority...maybe. Personally, I would look at bases that are closer to bigger cities. If I had known this in school, I would definitely choose Ft. Hood or Campbell over Ft Bragg, because Hood is so much closer to awesome cities like Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, while Cambell is close to Nashville. However, if you want to go to a base with more uptempo army units and maybe have a chance at airborne or air assault, go to places like Ft. Bragg...and fyi almost everyone puts Lewis, Hawaii and Carson on their list if spots are available, so I think those places are much harder (you are luckier) to get assigned to.
 
agent2362 said:
The biggest bases will always pull in the biggest numbers, so I would always say that places like Ft. Hood, Bragg, Bliss, Campbell, Lewis, ect are higher on the list. I've seen a few get Germany straight out of school, but those who already have time in the service might get a little higher priority...maybe. Personally, I would look at bases that are closer to bigger cities. If I had known this in school, I would definitely choose Ft. Hood or Campbell over Ft Bragg, because Hood is so much closer to awesome cities like Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, while Cambell is close to Nashville. However, if you want to go to a base with more uptempo army units and maybe have a chance at airborne or air assault, go to places like Ft. Bragg...and fyi almost everyone puts Lewis, Hawaii and Carson on their list if spots are available, so I think those places are much harder (you are luckier) to get assigned to.
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Thank you! The reason I ask is that the first post in this thread had the following OCONUS assignments:

Ft. Richardson AK
Ft. Wainwright AK
Tripler HI (AEGD-2)
Europe
Italy
Brussels
Germany
Japan
Korea
Sinai
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia

....

I would REALLY like any of these options...except maybe Alaska. But what I'm taking away from your quote is that Germany is the only one I'll have any real chance at as a fresh grad? Maybe I should choose Navy if I really want to see the world?
 
All installations are open if there are available spaces. We try to mix newer and more senior folks at each place. There isn't really anywhere that a new grad cannot get, as long as there is someone moving out of that location during that time.
 
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agent2362 said:
The biggest bases will always pull in the biggest numbers, so I would always say that places like Ft. Hood, Bragg, Bliss, Campbell, Lewis, ect are higher on the list. I've seen a few get Germany straight out of school, but those who already have time in the service might get a little higher priority...maybe. Personally, I would look at bases that are closer to bigger cities. If I had known this in school, I would definitely choose Ft. Hood or Campbell over Ft Bragg, because Hood is so much closer to awesome cities like Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, while Cambell is close to Nashville. However, if you want to go to a base with more uptempo army units and maybe have a chance at airborne or air assault, go to places like Ft. Bragg...and fyi almost everyone puts Lewis, Hawaii and Carson on their list if spots are available, so I think those places are much harder (you are luckier) to get assigned to.
Click to expand...
Airborne or air assault for dentists?? What does that entail? Sounds enticing lol. What kind of unique opportunities are available for dentists??
 
Redskins5 said:
Airborne or air assault for dentists?? What does that entail? Sounds enticing lol. What kind of unique opportunities are available for dentists??
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Those are 2 different courses that you have the potential of going to. Your Dental Commander where you are located will have to allow you to attend. If you are stationed at locations that do these courses (Airborne=Ft. Benning, Air Assault = Ft. Campbell) you will have a higher likelihood of being able to attend since travel and money is not involved (you are local). Airborne is jumping out of planes. Air Assault is rappelling out of helicopters. There are a few other components (obstacle course, PT test, written tests) besides those, but that is what the main focus is. On the medical side we have the Expert Field Medical Badge which you will have a much higher likelihood of being able to attend since it is directly tied to Army Medicine. You can Google search any of these topics for additional info.
 
How long is the average length of a posting for an Army dentist? If we have a 3 year payback for HPSP, would they most likely just keep us at the same place rather than moving us around twice? Are you informed of this when you get your orders?
 
dnt0711 said:
How long is the average length of a posting for an Army dentist? If we have a 3 year payback for HPSP, would they most likely just keep us at the same place rather than moving us around twice? Are you informed of this when you get your orders?
Click to expand...

I'll let someone with more experience answer your question. However, I do know that if you get assigned a post abroad, you'll have to stay there a minimum of 3 years.
 
If you do any type of training program you will move once it is completed. Other than that you will usually stay put for 3-4 yrs. Here is 2 scenarios:

1) Dr. Smith has a 3 yr HPSP and decides to do a 1 yr AEGD program. She goes to Ft. Carson for 1 yr following dental school and then moves to Ft. Drum to complete out the remaining 3 yrs of her HPSP obligation (the 1 yr AEGD is neutral and does not count towards payback). She can then get out or stay in and be eligible for a 35k/yr bonus (if she completed the ACP program) or the general dentist 25k/yr bonus.

2) Dr Jones has a 3 yr HPSP and goes straight to Ft. Bliss. After 3 yrs Dr. Jones is done with his obligation and can either stay in and receive the 25k/yr bonus (never did an AEGD so is not eligible for the 35k bonus).

Both providers could also apply for specialty programs which would affect commitment, moves, and bonuses.
 
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Honestly, don't get too "passionate" (good or bad passionate) about any particular location because: 1) chances are you will have to compromise and go somewhere you don't expect, 2) every "bad" location has its hidden gems and 3) every "good" location has its downsides. Have a good attitude, enjoy the ride and don't whine - you volunteered, the military has paid a ton of money to get you (no loans).
 
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I agree. I made some great friends and had some crazy fun times at some remote "bad" places.
 
Comprehensive Map of Army Dental Bases

ArmyMapDental.jpg
 
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