The Navy Dental Corps, established in 1912, celebrated its 98th birthday on Aug. 22.

Naval Hospital Oak Harbor’s nine dental officers and civil service dentists, including general dentists, a dental surgeon, periodontist, endodontist and prosthodontist, gathered Aug. 20 to celebrate their heritage with a cake-cutting ceremony at Naval Hospital Oak Harbor.

Letters of congratulations from the Navy Dental, Medical and Nurse Corps chiefs and the Navy Medicine force master chief were read to those in attendance.

In keeping with tradition, the oldest and youngest Navy Dental staff members, Cmdr. Marisa Leandro and Lt. Michael Nguyen, respectively, cut the cake to cap the celebration.

The Dental Corps was established when the 62nd Congress passed an act, signed by the 27th President, William Howard Taft. The Secretary of the Navy was given authority to appoint no more than 30 acting assistant dental surgeons to be part of the Medical Department. In World War II, that number grew to more than 400 dental officers.

Today, the Dental Corps boasts 1,119 billets in more than a dozen specialties that support war efforts, as well as humanitarian missions in Haiti, South America and Southeast Asia.