Page 5 - REVISED_Bulletin Vol 29 No 3 - Sept. - Dec. 2024 IN PROGRESS 2.pub

Message from the Editor

As the Bulle n looks for a new Editor, this page will feature some favorites from past issues.

The following editorial first appeared in The Bulle n in 2012.

The Den st and Tilapia Go to Mars

On August 6, 2012, two thousand pounds of scien fic wizardry successfully land‐
ed in the Gale Crater on the planet Mars. The latest rover will explore Mars,
helping us understand the planet’s past and its present. The knowledge gained
by Curiosity will help in the future manned explora on of Mars, an endeavor
mankind is certain to take. With a minimum round trip of close to two years,
a den st should be part of that voyage.

I figure the reason a den st must go to Mars is simple, he may be needed. Do the math; it’s not difficult
to calculate. When Mars and Earth are at their closest it takes nine months to get to Mars. The voyagers
would need to remain on Mars for four months un l the two planets again align correctly for a nine
month return to Earth. If twenty astronauts travel, the likelihood of at least one astronaut requiring
dental treatment is quite high. Let us not forget with 20 astronauts traveling 22 months, there are 74
combined six month periods away from home and if the tradi onal six months between dental examina‐
ons is adhered to, clearly a den st needs to go.
As a dental student, I had the opportunity to speak with Harrison (Jack) Schmidt, an Apollo 17 astronaut
and the second to last man to walk on the moon. Mr. Schmidt came to Northwestern to speak to the
Geology Department and I was not to be denied entrance to his lecture. I studied up on my anorthosi c
and basal c composi ons, found a seat in the back of the room and thoroughly enjoyed his slide show of
the 17th Apollo mission. At the conclusion of the discussion, knowing I would never walk on the moon, I
found myself compelled to at least shake the hand of someone who did. Surrounded by geology
graduate students, I shook Jack’s hand and confessed I was studying den stry not pyroclas c erup ons.
He welcomed me into the group and shared some dental trivia with me. It turns out each Apollo
astronaut was given a crash course on how to pull a tooth. Apparently, in planning for any possible
scenario, NASA instructed the astronauts in the most aggressive of dental treatments.
Since the days of GV Black, den sts have con nually advanced our science, regularly developing new
techniques and procedures to improve the care we provide to our pa ents. On Mars, prac cing den s‐
try will be similar to here on Earth. Mar an gravity allows for tradi onal treatment, albeit in a fantas cal‐
ly untradi onal loca on. The exci ng new techniques, however, will be developed for treatment during
the years of traveling in zero gravity. En rely novel methods will be acquired, as even the simplest proce‐
dures of irriga ng, rinsing and suc oning are impossible in a weightless environment. Some of the new
skills and materials will inevitably improve care here at home. The “extrac on only” treatment by Apollo
astronauts is clearly unacceptable as we go forward in space explora on.

Con nued on page 8

Nassau County Dental Society  (516) 227-1112 | 5