Bill Klaproth: This is OMS Voices, an AAOMS podcast. I’m Bill Klaproth and with me is Dr. David Bitonti, who is here to discuss his life of service in OMS in the armed forces. Dr. Bitonti, thank you so much for being here.  

Dr. David Bitonti: Thank you, Bill. It’s truly an honor and a pleasure to be here. 

Bill Klaproth: Yeah, well, same for me as well. So, can you first give us a brief overview of your time as an OMS in the armed forces? 

Dr. David Bitonti: So, I joined the Navy in 1985, right out of dental school, as a general dentist and had a couple of assignments ashore and aboard ship. Then I was selected for residency training in oral and maxillofacial surgery by the Navy. I had the good fortune of the Navy selecting me to go out-service for my residency training and had the opportunity to do that at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Following my residency, I went back to the ship again and had a tour there, which is a whole other conversation we could have about life aboard ship. And then had the good fortune to join the residency program at the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda as one of the staff. Then I moved over to the Naval Post-Graduate Dental School as the head of OMS there, and then back to the hospital after that as the head of OMS and hospital dentistry in the hospital. And then I had some other leadership opportunities as both the Senior Military Advisor to the Commander as well as the Deputy Commander for Integration and Transition as we merged a couple of hospitals during that time. My final tour was as commanding officer of a base, which was truly amazing. 

Bill Klaproth: Wow. Well, you’re very decorated, and thank you for your service. 

Dr. David Bitonti: It was my honor and pleasure. 

Bill Klaproth: So, Dr. Bitonti, I don’t think most people go to dentistry school and then go into the Navy. Is that right? You took an unusual path. 

Dr. David Bitonti: It’s not the typical path, no, but there’s quite a number of people in all the armed services; the Army, Navy and Air Force each have a Dental Corps and a number of officers there, and that includes the OMS community. I don’t know the exact numbers, but there’s a fair number of people who choose that as a career, both just for a brief period of time following dental school or for an entire career until retirement. 

Bill Klaproth: Why did you choose that? Why was that your path? Did you just want to be in the armed service? You wanted to serve? 

Dr. David Bitonti: That’s a very interesting question. I am the first member of my family to go into dentistry, so I had no relatives or legacy or practice to go into. My father-in-law was a career Naval officer, a surface line officer. So, through marrying my wife and having the opportunity to be exposed to Navy dentistry and the opportunities in the Navy, it’s interesting the way it started out. You commit for three years, and we said, well, we can do anything for three years. Let’s give it a whirl and see what happens after that, and three became five and five became 10 and 10 became 30. 

Bill Klaproth: Yeah. Wow. That’s really interesting. So, what a unique path that you’ve taken. 

Dr. David Bitonti: Thank you. 

Bill Klaproth: Yeah, I really think that’s really interesting. So, thinking back over your service, are there a couple of moments that really come to your memory, that really stand out to you? What did you learn in that time? 

Dr. David Bitonti: Yeah, there are several. I think probably one of the most remarkable ones was being part of a really dedicated and extremely talented team of healthcare professionals that provided innovative care to our wounded, ill and injured as it related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. From the providers to the nursing staff, to the corpsmen and medics, and the housekeeping staff, and the administrators and everybody that was involved, it was amazing to see what people could do when they were very focused on a singular mission. 

Bill Klaproth: So, you were on the ship, you said you were on three tours on ships, right? So, during those wars, obviously, you were active then. So, they would helicopter wounded soldiers in to see you with facial injuries? 

Dr. David Bitonti: So, that’s part of what – primarily on the aircraft carrier. That’s why there’s an oral and maxillofacial surgeon on the aircraft carrier. 

Bill Klaproth: Do we have an OMS on every aircraft carrier? 

Dr. David Bitonti: Every aircraft. There are two surgeons on an aircraft carrier. One that’s deployed. One is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and the other is a general surgeon. And basically, your responsibility there is to provide all the surgical services required for whatever would happen. They’re primarily there for servicing the flight deck if there were to be a flight deck accident or that type of thing. As far as the medevac capability, that’s not the primary mission of the aircraft carrier, although it could be part of what the mission is that you do. As you may be aware, we also have two hospital ships that are very active when it comes to those types of things, the Comfort and the Mercy. So they’re a primary medevac platform when needed, but interestingly enough, during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the primary medevac was through Europe, so people would be triaged in-country, medevac’d to Landstuhl Medical Center in Europe, and then depending on what their injuries were, they were medevac’d to two primary areas, the National Naval Medical Center in the Washington, D.C., area, and then San Antonio at Brooke Army Medical Center if they had burns. And then, follow-on, then, they would also be involved with Naval Medical Center San Diego. 

Bill Klaproth: OK, so the ships you were on, you were on an aircraft carrier, you said three of them? 

Dr. David Bitonti: I was on the USS Holland, which was a submarine tender. That was my first ship, and then I did two tours on the Enterprise. 

Bill Klaproth: Wow. How about that? So, your main primary goal was to take care of the soldiers on the ship and the flight deck and the flight crews, right? 

Dr. David Bitonti: That’s correct. 

Bill Klaproth: So, if a pilot’s got an impacted wisdom tooth, you’ve got to take care of that, right? 

Dr. David Bitonti: That’s exactly correct. And actually, to expand it a little bit, you’re really responsible for the care of not only the folks on the aircraft carrier but anyone in the battle group, which is actually today called a strike group. 

Bill Klaproth: Okay. So, then they would fly people to the aircraft carrier for you to look at if they had something? 

Dr. David Bitonti: Yes. 

Bill Klaproth: Wow. That’s really interesting. 

Dr. David Bitonti: It was a wonderful experience. 

Bill Klaproth: Wow, I bet. How long do those tours last? Months, right? 

Dr. David Bitonti: Typically, a tour on an aircraft carrier is two years, and during that period of time, you may do one, maybe two deployments depending on the ship’s schedule. Typically, deployments are approximately six months at a time. Sometimes they can be extended for various reasons or various national security-type issues. And so, um, it can be seven, eight months and so forth. 

Bill Klaproth: Wow, that’s really interesting. So, what was the most rewarding part or parts of your career in the Navy as an OMS? 

Dr. David Bitonti: There are many. I guess if I were to narrow it down to maybe a couple, I would say the first one was certainly the opportunity to provide care to the wounded, ill and injured from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also to support their families when they were going through probably one of the worst and most challenging periods in their life and to pull together as a team to support them and to be mission-focused, not only myself, but the entire team that was there, focused on others, as opposed to self, and being there for those folks. That was probably one of the more amazing opportunities that I had. I would say another one was while we were doing all that, we were partnered with our sister hospital, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. And then during the time that all that was going on, we actually merged those two hospitals into the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda, and we did that without missing a hitch in casualty management and so forth. And so, those were, those were huge things, I think, in my career, and certainly memories I’m not only proud of but that inspire me regularly when I have the opportunity to think back on those. 

Bill Klaproth: Absolutely. I could see how that would be inspiring and rewarding, caring for our military men and women. 

Dr. David Bitonti: It was a great opportunity. I think the other opportunity that stands out for anyone considering a life of service in whatever branch of the service is the opportunity to be a mentor and to also be mentored. And there are an infinite number of possibilities for that to occur. And for people to have the opportunity to both be mentored and be a mentor. A lot of times, I would say the largest percentage of people always want to do good and be good at what they do. And sometimes it just takes a minor course correction to keep someone on track or get them on the right track. Having the opportunity to do that is certainly available in any branch of service and any part of a career of service. 

Bill Klaproth: Absolutely, and a good message for anyone, anywhere, really, about mentors and mentorship. So, what did you find most challenging about being in OMS in the service? 

Dr. David Bitonti: Well, there are a couple of challenges, I would say. When I think back on my ship tours and being deployed, no one likes being away from their family. So, there are certain challenges there to the military family, as it relates to being part of the armed services. Each of the services has their varying levels of deployment, the Navy obviously on ships, and so that can oftentimes be a challenging period, juggling everything, staying mission-focused, while at the same time being concerned about your family back home. I would say, some of the other challenging things, like dealing with casualties and then thinking about sort of the secondary effects, you know, today resiliency is a big thing and staff resiliency and so forth, are huge things as it relates to healthcare. It was something that became very prevalent to the public, as it related to healthcare during the pandemic. But in the situations with the war, we dealt with that quite a bit, and a lot of what we did was in order to support our staff, because they were so focused on delivering the care that was needed, we had to make sure that they took the time to take care of themselves as well, because that makes you better at doing what you’re really focused on, which is taking care of the patient. 

Bill Klaproth: Absolutely. In your years of service, was there an area especially of interest that you enjoyed doing when practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery over the years in the armed forces? 

Dr. David Bitonti: So, I had a particular interest in trauma, which, coincidentally, was probably even put further to the forefront as it related to the war. I had an interest in sleep apnea surgery and then orthognathic surgery as well. And being an attending at a residency program was a big part of what I did, and I always enjoyed being an educator. 

Bill Klaproth: So then, Dr. Bitonti, what would you tell a young person considering joining the armed forces or simply leading a life of service as you have done? 

Dr. David Bitonti: I think the biggest thing that I would say in leading a life of service is that there are an infinite number of opportunities to provide service in the military, regardless of what career path you take. And I’m certainly personally extremely grateful for all the opportunity that the military, and in particular the Navy, has given me, both personally and professionally. I think the big thing that folks need to remember is that there are two sides to every opportunity. It’s not only what one can get out of the opportunity, but also what someone, depending on how the opportunity is presented, that they can give back to someone else. So, a life of service, whether it be in your local community, in your state, nationally, internationally, anytime you have the opportunity to provide service to someone, I think is a good thing. And it can be personally and professionally rewarding. 

Bill Klaproth: That is a great message. What’s that old adage? As you’re climbing the ladder, grab behind you and pull somebody else up with you at the same time. 

Dr. David Bitonti: That’s exactly correct. And, in particular, in the military, I would say that’s really an important part of what you do. There’s a saying that says, anytime that you have a job in the military, you’re not necessarily there to do the job. You’re there to train your replacement. 

Bill Klaproth: Yeah, that’s a great message. So, I know that you’ve retired from the military. Are you in private practice now? 

Dr. David Bitonti: No, I did private practice briefly after finishing the military. I did that for two years. And then I actually joined the team at the Hampton VA Medical Center, continuing to serve a population that I was obviously familiar with from my Navy career. And I did that for five years and retired. And then I just recently joined the team at the Children’s Hospitals of the King’s Daughter in Norfolk, Va., as an OMS providing clinical care there. 

Bill Klaproth: Still a life of service, we appreciate that greatly. And thank you for your dedication and what you’ve done in the armed forces. We appreciate that. 

Dr. David Bitonti: It was my privilege and I appreciate the time to talk to you all.   

Bill Klaproth: Absolutely. Once again, that is Dr. David Bitonti. And for more information and the full podcast library, please visit MyOMS.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks for listening.