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: