When the Skylab space expeditions started during the seventies the time did not only mark the first of a series of manned space travels into earth orbit but space travel which made use of modern dental equipment. 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 Skylab space travels yielded three flights each one lasting from 4 to 8 weeks at a time employing three man crews that had the opportunity to make use of the dental equipment on board.
The dental equipment was intended to have the purpose of treating any ailments that could be dealt with on an outpatient basis according to one military dentist. Every piece of equipment provided ample service that no do it yourself medical kit could ever provide. There is a one percent risk that dental treatment might be needed for any of the three man crews that will be sent into space for 28 days and this is where the treatment concepts at that time were based upon. The onset of pulpitis or periodontal abscess can lead to the inefficiency of one astronaut and these are examples of the dental problems which carry a one percent risk.
When minor dental problems surface the possibilities of chipped teeth and the like can reach five percent. The IMSS dental equipment which consists of different tools like forceps, an elevator, restoration material applicator, syringes, and many more will be the focus of this article. Thanks to the Air Force den corps the astronauts from the Skylab project were able to have the kind of restoration material which will work effectively in space. The absence of gravity did not affect the material in any way.
After much success from the equipment testing process the flight crews were subjected to two days of intensive training for them to have the ability to use the equipment after the launch. Flight crews gained basic procedural knowledge from the training provided by NASA as the sessions only considered problems that are not more complicated than tooth removal. Aboard the space craft will be an integrated manual containing pertinent information on diagnosis and illustrated procedural guides not to mention an oral structure image for each crew member sourced from their personal radiographs.
In mission control, a dentist will be available with diagnostic casts, complete periapical and panoramic radiographs, color photos of each astronaut’s mouth, complete records of each astronaut’s dental status, plus narrative summaries of all dental treatment provided the astronauts since 1966. Every space mission requires an extensive use of space to ground conversation and in this case procedures cannot simply be done without the approval of an on ground dental officer.
There are times when people are not as easy to convince with regard to new ideas and in the case of astronauts treating themselves for dental problems a number of people still find it troubling. Especially for the Skylab missions any threat that could result to extreme financial losses even for reasons such as problems caused by a crew member’s dental pain may not be acceptable. To lessen the conflict with regard to non dentists doing procedures in space permission will only be granted if all else fails.
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