Boston Senior Oral Health Program.

The Boston University Senior Oral Health Program was established to improve the oral and general health status of low-income seniors by increasing their access to dental care. The program provided free dental and oral cancer screenings for seniors living in public housing – those requiring preventive or restorative care are referred to our partner health centers for free treatment.

The need for this program was initially demonstrated through research conducted by the Partnership in Health and Housing in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston Housing Authority, and Boston Public Health Commission. A survey revealed that of all seniors living in Boston’s public housing developments, 52% were in need of dental treatment, 41% were in need of new dentures, and 28% were found to have potentially cancerous lesions, but only 6% were able to afford dental insurance. This project is supported by generous funding from the Sunshine Lady Foundation.