BCCC to Provide Free Preventive Dental Care to Seniors

(October 11, 2019) – The Dental Hygiene Program at Baltimore City Community College will offer free preventive care dental services to seniors 62 and over Oct. 21-25 at its Dental Hygiene Clinic on the first floor in the Life Sciences Building, Liberty Campus, 2901 Liberty Heights Ave. The free services are provided each year in celebration of Senior Week and National Dental Hygiene Month.

Second-year dental hygiene students will provide patient care under the supervision of licensed hygienists and dentists. Each senior session includes a complete dental examination, x-rays, oral cancer screening, cleaning and fluoride treatment, all at no charge to the patient. Professional cleaning of dentures and partials, as well as blood pressure screening, are also included.

Professor Terry Doty, a registered dental hygienist and clinical coordinator for the program, said the BCCC students do all of their clinical learning on campus. “We are the only health-related program (in the state) that has a working clinic on campus,” Doty said. “This event gives them experience with the special needs of the senior population.”

Founded in 1970, BCCC’s Dental Hygiene Program – the first in Maryland – will celebrate its 50-year anniversary in 2020. The program has earned a 100 percent passing rate for the past five years.

Clinic hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, and 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. There are no hours on Wednesdays. Space is limited and appointments are required and scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To request an appointment, call Grace Simmons at the college’s Dental Hygiene Clinic at (410) 462-7712. Visit BCCC’s website to learn more about the program.