Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine

"Unfortunately, this was the absolute worst experience of my life. Had an emergency need of service during intercession as I cracked my tooth and was in pain. The emergency line states someone will get back to you only to be thrown into a viscous cycle of repeated recorded messages. Left 3 urgent messages for 3 days straight for a call back and not a peep. This is truly unacceptable and unfortunate as I m not only a student but also staff. We must do better."

"My experience at Boston University Dental School was highly disappointing, particularly considering the significant investment of time and money over four years. The primary issue was the inefficiency and poor quality of dental work performed by the students. The process for even minor dental procedures was excruciatingly slow, often dragging on for months. This slow pace could be attributed to the learning curve of students, but it significantly impacted the practicality of receiving timely dental care. More concerning was the durability and quality of the dental work. Some procedures done by students, ostensibly for their curriculum requirements, deteriorated or failed completely within two years. This raised serious questions about the long-term reliability of the treatments provided. Supervision by faculty, which is a critical component of a dental school's clinical training, seemed inconsistent at best. On several occasions, it appeared that teachers were not adequately overseeing the students' work. A particularly alarming incident involved a filling I received; it was so poorly done that a supervising teacher, upon inspecting it a week later, commented that it was "a mile high," indicating a significant deviation from acceptable standards. Given these experiences, I would advise anyone in need of dental care to consider going to a professional dentist. While the concept of a dental school providing practical learning opportunities for students is understandable, the execution at BU Dental School felt like a gamble where the quality of care was unpredictable. It's essential to remember that these are students learning, and unfortunately, in my case, it was at the expense of my dental health."

"Scheduling desk staffs seems like they are enjoying pain of patients having very few availablity of time slot suggested. Waiting is a couple of months. Ok, then let’s understand this but the scheduling manager was so rude to hang up on me in the middle of conversations . And once phone was hung up during the conversation, they had never called me back, after waiting an hour ,huh, seriously feel like l am being abused by scheduling staffs here. Definitely the scheduling staff should be changed"

"I’m surprised at the low reviews. I have nothing but excellent things to say about my experience here. The students and staff are so nice and professional. The students are knowledgeable and eager to learn, they ask questions and are well supervised. The cleaning I had here was by far the best one I’ve had in Boston since I moved here 3 years ago. I have a treatment plan now for root canals, crowns and a possible surgery. I’m half way done and couldn’t be happier. Appointments take long but are 100 percent worth it. Students are very thorough. I love it. I definitely recommend."

"The Goldman School of Dental Medicine at Boston University has saved me many thousands of dollars since I first came here in 2007. Prior to being a patient here, I was a patient at a private dental practice, which kept finding things wrong with my teeth. I am quite particular about taking care of my teeth with water flossing, brushing at least 3 times a day, etc. I got a second opinion at BU Dental 7th Floor. The crown specialist said all I needed was a small white filling and not an expensive crown of $1,895 (pre-insurance) that my private dentist was adamant about and that if she did work that was more than necessary, she would be questioned hard by her dental students because her work is reviewed by others. The small white filling and consult after insurance cost me $0. The crown at the private dentist after insurance would have cost me $1,505 (which was an exorbitant amount in 2007). I found the original estimate. Insurance would have covered only $390 of the $1,895. After that experience, I never went back to the private dentist because I realized he had been doing extensive work that was not necessary. I go now only to BU Dental. Trust is very important. More than 15 years later, my tooth still has a small white filling and has never needed a crown. My most recent visit was in late June 2022. The 7th floor waiting area has been completely remodeled. The front desk employees are friendly and helpful, especially Christine, who remembers patients. I love this place and wish I had known about it sooner than I did because I could have put all that money spent on the private dentist into my retirement account back in the 1990s through the mid-2000s. One thing I would recommend to the administrators is to put back the sinks in the treatment rooms and restart the drinking fountains on the 7th floor for a better patient experience. Seventh floor, that is what I recommend. There is another floor that student dentists work on, but I have never tried that department."