Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1995 Winter;55(1):34-6.
doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.1995.tb02328.x.

Dental caries in homeless adults in Boston

L M Kaste  1 , A J Bolden
Affiliations

Dental caries in homeless adults in Boston

L M Kaste et al. J Public Health Dent. 1995 Winter.

Abstract

Objectives: Information about the oral health status of the homeless is limited. The purpose of this study is to characterize the dental caries status among users of a dental treatment and referral program at homeless shelters in Boston, MA.

Methods: Persons attending the program during a one-year period were assessed for evidence of dental caries experience by a single examiner. DMFT counts were abstracted from patient records.

Results: The population examined (n = 73) was 66 percent male with a mean age of 36 years. The racial composition was 51 percent African-American, 34 percent Caucasian, and 14 percent Hispanic. The 70 dentate people examined had a mean DFT of 11.1 (SD = 6.1). The mean percent of DFT that was DT per person was 55.7 percent. Untreated caries was detected in 91.4 percent of those examined.

Conclusions: These findings show evidence of previous dental services utilization by these homeless individuals, but demonstrate a high need for preventive and restorative dental therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

LinkOut - more resources