Founded
in 1799, the Boston Public Health Commission is the oldest health department
in the United States. Paul Revere was Boston's first health officer.
The board of health came into being at that time to fight a potential
outbreak of cholera. By posting signs on lampposts, town hall meetings,
and an early-day public information campaign, Boston's first board of
health was able to effectively reduce deaths from cholera.
Two
hundred years later, the Boston Public Health Commission is still at
the forefront of innovative public health services for all of its residents
The
mission of the Boston Public Health Commission's Oral Health program
is to improve the oral health of Boston residents and guarantee access
to dental care. The Oral Health program develops, nurtures, and supports
preventive oral health and dental care programs for Boston residents.
The program works cooperatively with 17 health center dental programs
and provides on-site infection control training. In addition to the
services it provides to Boston's residents, the Oral Health program
also provides consultation and technical assisatance in (1) oral health
policy, (2) continuing education, and (3) the planning of dental programs,
operations, and evaluation.
In
conjunction with the Boston University's Goldman School of Dental Medicine,
the Oral Health program provides field experiences for dental public
health residents who work on various community-oriented projects each
year. The residencies provided in conjunction with the Boston Public
Health Commission's Oral Health program provide an integral part of
the training and career development mission of CREEDD and provide residents
with the opportunity to learn first-hand about dental disparities in
underserved people in Boston and develop programs of oral health prevention
and treatment to better serve these groups.
