In 1973 the Skylab space travels began marking the start of manned space flights into earth orbit and during this time the astronauts relied on different modern dental equipment as they proceeded with their journey. There was a need for a dental component to be incorporated into the in flight medical support system or IMSS of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA especially during the Skylab flights and so their military dentists developed the necessary component. The dental equipment on board the three Skylab flights managed to assist the three man crews who were sent into space for periods lasting from 28 to 56 days at a time.
Dealing with problems that could be treated on an outpatient basis was the philosophy for the kind of service that the dental equipment aimed to provide as one of the military dentists said. On the other hand the equipment still did not act simply as a buddy kit or a do it yourself kit. The design for the dental component relied heavily on the statistic that there is a one percent risk that dental treatment may be required during the 28 days that the three man crew will spend in space. Take note that the one percent risk only encompasses serious dental problems that can affect the effectiveness of a crew member including possible pulpitis or periodontal abscess.
On the average there is a five percent risk that less serious concerns including fractured restorations may be experienced. From this article a reader will gain more knowledge regarding the components of the IMSS dental equipment and how it makes use of tools including removal forceps, a periodontal curette, a Gigli saw, and a series of syringes to assist astronauts on missions. Conditions in outer space proved to be a detrimental factor to the kind of restoration material that will work effectively for NASA but the Air Force den corps were able to formulate the material which met in flight specifications. Handling or mixing the material can be accomplished in zero gravity.
NASA did not only conduct a series of intensive training programs for the flight crews but also conducted a series of tests to ensure that there will be no flaws in the dental equipment. No program attempted to train the flight crews regarding dental procedures which come to be more complicated than removing teeth making the sessions a tad limited. When the need for dental treatment arises the flight crew can rely on the integrated dental manual that will be placed on the space vehicle carrying various illustrations on diagnosis, procedures, and oral structures obtained from personal radiographs for each crew member.
Should the need for professional dental services arise then mission control will provide a dentist equipped with all the necessary materials from oral casts to periapical radiographs as well as colored photos of the crew’s oral structures. Before a dental procedure can be performed by an astronaut he will need to first consult with the dental officer in ground control and so constant communication is highly important for any space mission.
He says that all of those concerned with this program, one way or the other, have had serious reservations about training non-dentists to perform these clinical dental procedures. But incapacitating dental pain experienced by a crewman aboard the space ship could threaten a space mission costing hundreds of millions of dollars, and could have threatened one of the Skylab missions, a loss that probably could not be accepted up to this decade. Considering every aspect with regard to dental procedures in space these will only serve as a last resort for the astronauts.
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