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General Kartar Singh, an internationally-renowned dentist was widely respected as the father of the Army Dental Corps. Persistent lobbying by politicians to establish a dental service for Indian troops led to the commissioning of Kartar Singh and six other dentists on February 1, 1941. This is now celebrated as the birthday of the Dental Corps. […]

General Kartar Singh, an internationally-renowned dentist was widely respected as the father of the Army Dental Corps. Persistent lobbying by politicians to establish a dental service for Indian troops led to the commissioning of Kartar Singh and six other dentists on February 1, 1941. This is now celebrated as the birthday of the Dental Corps.

Kartar Singh served with the 7 Indian Division in Burma during World War II and on occupation duties in Thailand thereafter. Interestingly, he was presented with one of the first captured Japanese Samurai swords by the Subedar Major of 1st Sikh.

After Independence, Kartar Singh continued to guide the growth of military dentistry remaining the head of dental services from 1951 to 1971. On a professional level, he was a member of the Dental Health Advisory Committee of the Indian Council of Medical Research for over 10 years, as its chairman in 1968-71. He contributed to the World Health Organisation as a consultant and in addition, as a member of its dental health advisory committee during 1970-75. The general was the honorary dental surgeon to the President for 10 years (1962-72). That the army maintains high dental standards today is a tribute to the pioneering work done by General Kartar Singh and his colleagues.