Designing a New Model of Dental Care for LGBTQ and Homeless Communities in San Francisco 
Thomas T. Nguyen, UCSF School of Dentistry | Dr. Leon Assael Dr. Gwen Essex Dr. Michael Le

Introduction
7,499 homeless individuals were counted in 2017 in San Francisco, 30% of whom identified as LGBTQ.1

A United Nations Reporteur for Adequate Housing visited San Francisco that year and declared the homelessness problem “a violation of human rights.”2 She further stated that “the idea that a government would deny people
[basic access to water, toilets, and sanitation facilities] suggests a kind of cruelty that is unsurpassed. It is a denial of someone’s humanity.”3 San Francisco Community Health Center, the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the city, restores their humanity by providing quality primary care, mental health and supportive services to the homeless, LGTBQ and people of color in the Tenderloin. The one service they lack that nearly all clients need is dental care.