Dental program offers new Army dentists advanced training

Eight new Army dentists graduated from the Advanced Education in General Dentistry 1-Year Program July 15, 2026, at Fort Carson, Colo.

Hosted by the Fort Carson Dental Health Activity, the AEGD offers residents practical experience and mentoring from faculty and specialty providers.

“The program is designed to train competent, productive, efficient clinicians able to skillfully and confidently manage patients who require complex multi-disciplinary treatment,” said Col. Matthew Meyer, AEGD program director.

Only about 50% of new Army dentists are selected for the program, and the advanced training they receive helps prepares them for independent roles as brigade dentists, or wherever the Army needs them.

“This means enhancing their diagnostic, treatment planning, comprehensive care, and surgical dental skill set so they can operate more independently and manage dental treatment when specialty referrals are not an option,” Meyer said.“This is especially true when assigned as a brigade dentist, where they are responsible for the oral health of a brigade. During deployment, the officer has fewer dental resources, and their AEGD training is particularly valuable.”

Another objective of the AEGD program is to expose the residents to the different dental specialties. “This increases their knowledge, promotes the Dental Corps, and helps them decide on a specialty they might want to pursue,” Meyer said. “The added benefit is that it also makes graduates more competitive when applying for specialty training.”

According to Meyer, in addition to giving new Army dentists a leg up on their peers, the program also covers officer professional development topics, which helps create better leaders.

The 2026 AEGD Program Graduates are:

• Capt. Justin Bui, will serve in the 257th Medical Company, Dental Company Area Support at Fort Bragg, N.C.
• Capt. Brett Chappell, will serve as a general dentist with the Caserma Ederle Dental Activity in Vicenza, Italy.
• Capt. Johnathan Kohles, will work at the Pentagon temporarily until he begins Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in July, 2027.
• Capt. Nicole Lim, will serve with the 673rd Dental Company Area Support at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
• Capt. Eli Maayan, will serve as a general dentist for the 618th Medical Company at Camp Walker in Daegu, South Korea.
• Capt. Jennifer Nguyen, will serve in the 257th Medical Company as part of the Dental Company Area Support at Fort Bragg, N.C.
• Capt. Rakhi Shah, will serve as a general dentist for the medical company at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany.
• Capt. BuKyung Song, will serve in the 673rd Dental Company Area Support at Fort Carson, Colo.