Dental Technician (DT) — Discontinued

RATING EVOLUTION

1. // Decommissioned · 2005
   DT
   Dental Technician
   1948–2005
2. // Active Today · Successor
   HM
   Hospital Corpsman
   View active rating →

WHY THE RATING WAS DISCONTINUED

Merged into the Hospital Corpsman (HM) rating in 2005, broadening the corpsman's scope to include dental support and creating the modern HM-8701 (Dental Assistant) NEC pipeline.

OVERVIEW

Dental Technician (DT) was the U.S. Navy's enlisted dental-support rating. DTs assisted Navy and Marine Corps dentists with examinations, restorations, surgical procedures, and prosthodontic work; ran dental clinics afloat and ashore; supported fleet dental-readiness inspections; and managed shipboard and shore dental records and supplies.

DT was disestablished on 1 October 2005 when the Navy merged it into the Hospital Corpsman (HM) rating. The merger broadened the corpsman's scope to include dental support and produced the modern HM-8701 (Dental Assistant) and HM-8702 (Dental Hygienist) NEC pipeline within the larger HM rating.

WHAT THEY DID

Dental Technicians assisted dentists with chairside operations — examinations, prophylaxis, restorations, oral surgery, and prosthodontic procedures; ran the dental-clinic sterilization and infection-control program; supported field dental services aboard amphibious ships and with Marine units; managed dental records and patient scheduling; and supported the Fleet Dental Readiness program. Senior DTs ran dental-clinic departments and supported the Navy's preventive-dentistry mission.

NOTABLE FOR

• Operated every Navy dental clinic and shipboard dental space for nearly sixty years
• Source rating for the modern HM Dental Assistant (HM-8701) and Dental Hygienist (HM-8702) NECs
• Supported every fleet dental readiness program from the post-WWII era through the GWOT

HISTORY

Dental Technician was established in 1948 as the Navy reorganized its hospital-corps and medical specialist communities. Through the Cold War, DTs supported Navy and Marine Corps dental care in shore clinics, aboard hospital ships, in Marine units, and on aircraft carriers and large amphibious ships. The rating sustained dental readiness — a key fleet-deployability metric — for over five decades.

The Navy disestablished DT on 1 October 2005 to consolidate medical and dental enlisted support under a single Hospital Corpsman umbrella. Active-duty DTs converted to HM, and dental-specific work continued as HM dental NECs.

TYPICAL PLATFORMS & UNITS

• Naval hospitals and branch dental clinics ashore
• Aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships with embarked dental teams
• Marine Corps dental support detachments

HISTORICAL CAREER PATH

1. E-1/E-3
   Apprentice DT
   Recruit Training followed by DT A-school at Naval School of Health Sciences, San Diego, CA; later Joint Base San Antonio – Fort Sam Houston, TX; first tour with a fleet unit.
2. E-4/E-6
   Petty Officer DT
   Lead a DT work-center, qualify in core watchstations, and serve as the rating's section leader.
3. E-7+
   Chief Dental Technician
   Senior DT leader — Leading Chief Petty Officer of a DT division, instructor at the rating's A-school, or detailer at BUPERS until rating disestablishment in 2005.

SUCCESSOR RATINGS (ACTIVE TODAY)

• HM · Medical & Dental
  Hospital Corpsman

FOR VETERANS & FAMILIES

If a DD-214, retirement order, or family-history document lists the rating DT (Dental Technician), that is a legitimate U.S. Navy enlisted rating that was disestablished in 2005. Sailors who held this rating served in the medical & dental community during 1948–2005.

The mission of DT is performed today by Hospital Corpsman (HM). For VA benefits, MOS/rating-translator services, or transcript-of-service requests, reference both the historical DT rating code and the modern successor.

Official records: National Personnel Records Center (St. Louis, MO) holds U.S. Navy enlisted service records for veterans separated more than 62 years ago; later records are held by Navy Personnel Command in Millington, TN.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• When was the Dental Technician (DT) rating disestablished?
  The DT rating was disestablished in 2005. Merged into the Hospital Corpsman (HM) rating in 2005, broadening the corpsman's scope to include dental support and creating the modern HM-8701 (Dental Assistant) NEC pipeline.
• What rating did Dental Technician (DT) become?
  The successor rating is hospital corpsman. Active-duty DTs converted to the new rating(s) at disestablishment.
• What did a Navy Dental Technician (DT) do?
  Dental Technicians assisted dentists with chairside operations — examinations, prophylaxis, restorations, oral surgery, and prosthodontic procedures; ran the dental-clinic sterilization and infection-control program; supported field dental services aboard amphibious ships and with Marine units; managed dental records and patient scheduling; and supported the Fleet Dental Readiness program. Senior DTs ran dental-clinic departments and supported the Navy's preventive-dentistry mission.
• Can I still claim the DT rating on my record?
  Yes — your DD-214 and Navy service record reflect the rating you held. The DT rating was a valid U.S. Navy enlisted rating from 1948 until 2005, and veterans who served in DT continue to use the rating designation in records, reunions, and veteran-affairs paperwork.

SOURCES

• Naval History and Heritage Command — U.S. Navy Ratings History
• NAVADMIN / OPNAV historical-rating disestablishment notices
• U.S. Navy Enlisted Career Path Reference — Dental Technician