Upon completion of Basic Training at Lackland, AFB, (1965) I was "volunteered" for a NASA Dental Experiment at Brooks AFB, Texas. The School of Aerospace Medicine.

The study for which I was involved in was under Lt. Col. Leary (as my memory serves me) who was a Dentist. Our study group was very narrow in scope as the Cold War was still going on.

The study was centered around research regarding an astronaut who might be in space for a prolonged period of time succumbing to a tooth ache; or broken tooth; or just needed a tooth extracted. Specifically, what would he do and how would he do it in dealing with his teeth?

This doctor has invented an instrument he referred to as a Paradontometer. What he did with this gadget (for two months) was measure Horizontal Tooth Mobility. He would apply pressure to the side of a tooth and determine how far it moved. This thing was so accurate he could tell you basically what time you went to bed the night before and even if you had consumed a beer, eaten breakfast, etc.

The purpose of all of this is to see if there are any other AF veterans out there who found themselves "volunteered" for medical experiments at Brooks. If so, please feel free to e-mail me.