Background. Dental emergencies affect the mission of deployed units. During military operations, the definition of dental emergency is different from that which is commonly accepted in dentistry. There is no notion of seriousness or need for urgent care. A considerable number of studies concerning American, French and other armies exist in the literature. This is the first study in Burkina Faso.
Objectives. The purpose of this study was to quantify the dental emergency rate observed in Burkina Faso
soldiers deployed in Mali and to determine the percentage of dental emergencies.
Material and methods. All the reasons for dental emergencies, between February 2015 and January
2016, were documented from the data of the register of clinical activities from the dental clinic of Timbuktu
level 1 hospital.
Results. Caries accounted for 47.1% of dental emergencies. The second most common reason for visiting
the dental clinic was periodontal diseases (19.3%), followed by lost crowns (9.7%). Fractured teeth caries
accounted for 9% of emergencies and 7.1% of emergencies were attributed to infections. The remaining
visits for dental emergencies accounted for 7.8%. The dental emergency rate for Burkina Faso Forces based
in Mali is 182 per 1,000 soldiers per year.
Conclusions. Caries are the main reason why soldiers went to the dental clinic. Dental emergencies can
significantly affect the mission of the deployed unit

dental emergencies, operational capability, deployed soldiers, burkina faso army