Resource provided by the British Dental Association Museum.
This resource is one of a series created to commemorate the First World War Centenary in 2014-2018 and explores how dentists cared for soldiers in Casualty Clearing Areas in WW1.
Curriculum Links
- KS2 History - Study of an aspect or theme in British history after 1066
- KS3 History - Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day
How this Resource Could be Used
'I might use this resource as a research opportunity and information gathering and then get the children to make their own WW1 version of a Horrible Histories – Historical Dentist sketch by way of presenting their findings,'
Michelle Ross, Special Needs Co-Ordinator and Year 5 teacher at St. Matthew's C of E (A) Primary School, Leeds.
Discussion and Activity Ideas
KS2 History
- Why do you think a lot of soldiers during the First World War had toothache?
- Look at the photo of the mobile dental surgery (see Resources) and describe what is different from your dentist's surgery; what is the same?
KS3 History
- Some WW1 dentists were posted to casualty clearing stations (CSSs). Do some research on CSSs to find out:
- how far were they from the front line?
- how were they structured (what type of buildings)?
- how many staff did each CSS have in total and what were their jobs?
- how many casualties could be treated at one time?
- what kind of treatment did the casualties receive?
- how long could they stay there? - Research the history of dentistry and make a table or chart showing all the changes in its development from ancient times up until today. You could sort it into the following areas:
- forms of treatment
- tools and equipment
- remedies and medicine
- oral hygiene methods - Find out what other new technologies were developed during WW1. How did each one affect the outcome of the War?