More than 184,000 Soldiers have been identified as needing at least one dental filling.

Soldiers stationed at Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem who have dental cavities can now receive treatment designed to meet their specific needs from the Lawrence Joel Army Dental Clinic.

This High Caries Risk Program (HCRP) targets Soldiers who have high levels of tooth decay and is a unique program that aims to improve overall oral health.

HCRP customizes dental treatment to the individual Soldier to meet his or her specific needs. Soldiers receive nutritional counseling, oral hygiene instructions, intensive treatment to help prevent future decay and treatment for any cavities he or she has. This program also follows Soldiers as they move throughout duty stations in their Army career.

Soldiers with low caries risk have fewer dental needs, better dental readiness and spend less time overall at dental appointments, which means more time is available to their units.

"This is a great program for our Soldiers. Our goal is to provide Soldiers with a treatment plan to lower their chances of experiencing future dental decay requiring emergency treatment," said Col. Stanley McNeme, commander of the Lawrence Joel Army Dental Clinic. "Participating in the HCRP will help Soldiers identify risk factors, in addition to receiving the appropriate needed treatment. This program creates a partnership between the Soldier and the dental professional, and will help break the decay-repair-decay cycle."

The HCRP allows dentists to better identify patients with dental decay and follow up on any treatment they need, McNeme added.

"This is an outstanding program for our Soldiers and I strongly encourage they take advantage of this opportunity," said McNeme. "This program helps our Soldiers become dentally fit. HCRP supports the Army surgeon general's commitment to the oral health of our Soldiers."

For more information about HCRP, call the Lawrence Joel Army Dental Clinic staff at 464-0361.