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About Resources and Information |
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 Find information on specific issues and topics related to oral health, including maternal and child oral health and the 2000 Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health. Also find links to a variety of other resources, materials, and articles.
 For more frequent, weekly updates on oral health resources, events, and announcements on a local, state, and national level please "friend" our Office of Oral Health Facebook page today!
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Brochures/Forms |
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§ Service Request Form
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Please fill out the 2-sided form and return to our office via email or fax if you are requesting assistance for a Boston fair/event or presentation/workshop. |
§ Resource Brochure for free or low-cost dental services in Boston.
*UPDATED January 2012*
§ What to Expect at Your Dental Appointment for children, adults, and elders:
*NEW 9/12/11*
Child-English Adult-English Elder-English
Child-Spanish Adult-Spanish Elder-Spanish
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General |
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§ “Ask the Dental Hygienist” Blog - A resource for you to ask dental health
questions and get answers directly from a licensed dental professional within
2 business days.
 § Boston Public Health Commission Mayor's Health Line - a free and
confidential multilingual information and referral health line service.
§ Directory of Community Health Center Dental Programs
§ Free Oral Health Education Materials - A great resource for
distributing oral health information to the community.
§ Find a Dentist Taking Patients with MassHealth
§ General Oral Health Fact Sheet
§ *NEW 10/27/11* The California Dental Association's Patient Education
Tools Webpage offers FREE Oral Health Fact Sheets on over 35 different
oral health topics--available in Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Spanish,
Hmong, and English!
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Local, State, and Federal Resources |
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§ Health and Public Housing Data, Oral Health, Boston, 2001-2005
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Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Oral Health website
§ Oral Health Crisis in Massachusetts Report (2000)
The Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health (2000)
The Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health in 2000 raised awareness of the key relationship between oral health and overall health and well-being in America. It addressed the “silent epidemic” of oral diseases that plague some populations despite recent improvements in oral health. The report also called for a national effort among individuals, communities and health care providers to improve oral health among all Americans.
A more recent report, “National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health,” released in the spring of 2003 built on the previous Surgeon General's report and provided a national strategy to address the serious oral health problems identified. It urged individuals, communities, organizations, and health care providers to expand programs designed to promote oral health and prevent oral disease for all populations.
For more information, read the reports here:
§ Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, May 2000
§ National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health, Spring 2003
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Pregnant Women and Children |
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 Pregnancy and early childhood are particularly important times to access oral health care, as the consequences of poor oral health can have a lifelong impact. There is increasing evidence that calls attention to oral health education and care during pregnancy as an important strategy for improving maternal and infant overall health.
For Providers:
§ Implementing a Tooth Brushing Program in a Child Care Setting - A guide for
childcare workers that aims to promote understanding of dental diseases
and oral health prevention in children, as well as guidelines for implementing
a tooth brushing program in a childcare setting
(available in English and Spanish).
§ Block Oral Disease Tool Kit - Materials and training to educate child health care
providers on oral health topics, particularly focusing on children with special
health care needs.
§ Fluoride Varnish Trainings - MassHealth now reimburses certain categories of
health care providers for applying fluoride varnish on the teeth of children
who are at moderate to high risk for tooth decay.
For Parents:
§ How Does Cleaning My Teeth and Gums Help My Child?
§ Why Should I Clean My Baby’s Teeth?
§ Dental Care for Your Baby
§ Healthy Behaviors to Keep Your Baby’s Teeth Healthy
§ Fluoride: The Foundation For Preventing Cavities
§ Your Child’s Medication and Their Teeth
§ Spots… What Spots?
§ Are You What You Eat?
§ Visiting a Dental Office
§ Oral Health & Your Body: Pregnancy
§ Dental Sealant Fact Sheet
§ The Healthy Family Fun Campaign
News and Journal Articles:
§ NEJM- Treatment of Periodontal Disease & the Risk of Preterm Birth
§ JCDA- Causes, Treatment and Prevention of Early Childhood Caries
§ JDH- Periodontal Disease & Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
Additional Links:
§ National Maternal & Child Oral Health Resource Center
§ National Center for Education in Maternal & Child Health
§ March of Dimes: Prematurity
§ American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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Elders |
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 Keeping your mouth clean and healthy is important at every age, especially in older adults. Please refer to this Senior Oral Health resource folder (available in 6 languages!) to help guide you or your loved one into maintaining a healthy smile. Click on the appropriate language to find more information on denture care, dry mouth, oral cancer, fluoride levels, and other helpful resources specific for elder care.
Health and Public Housing Data, Oral Health, Boston, 2001-2005:
A report on the health of public housing residents across a range of health measures that directly compares their disease burden and behavioral health experiences with those of Boston residents who do not reside in public housing. The oral health indicators measured were:
1) Inadequate dental care due to financial barrier
2) Permanent teeth removed due to decay/disease (six or more)
3) No dental insurance
Read the full report.
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