"Good oral health in-theater means not having any diseases or problems that affect a soldier's ability to function, whether that be daily activities such as eating, drinking, speaking, or the ability to accomplish the mission," he said.
"I felt like I was able to educate our soldiers on the importance of oral health while downrange just because I was there with them," he explained.
"I do think maintaining oral health downrange can be difficult. Dental treatment isn't the biggest hurdle, but rather personal habits are," Gutierrez said.
"The stress encountered by soldiers during a deployment can put one's oral health low on the list of priorities."
On deployment, "soldiers are away from family, potentially not getting enough sleep, not having a good routine, and that is why remembering to brush or floss your teeth or eating well can go by the wayside," he said.
Gutierrez joined the military through the Army's Health Professions Scholarship Program. Each service has a similar program for medical and dental students.
He is now the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery assistant program director at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.