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Nearly Six Million Floridians Aren’t Smiling

Sadly, there’s little to smile about in Florida this February, which is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The state of children’s oral health in Florida is abysmal, indeed some would say in crisis. The latest data clearly demonstrates that the oral health of Florida’s children is among the worst in the nation. Even worse, because oral health is directly linked to overall physical health, there most certainly will be long term consequences for many. Because children are our future, this should be a concern to everyone. Florida Leads the Nation in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas – Almost 6 million Floridians live in communities that do not have an adequate ...Read More

2023-02-15T09:26:38-05:00February 15, 2023|Breaking News, Top Stories|

New Coalition Forms to Solve Florida’s Oral Health Crisis

Communities across Florida are struggling with chronic dental access shortages and serious consideration is needed regarding widespread improvements. Poor oral health resulting from dental access shortages have risen to public health crisis levels. Florida leads the nation in the number of individuals living in areas designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Sixty-six of Florida’s 67 counties have shortages of dentists. According to Betty Kabel, Director of Dental Outreach at North Florida Medical Centers, trying to find a dentist for children on Medicaid of without health insurance is challenging. "I recently saw a young boy at an elementary school who was in so much dental pain that he was crying ...Read More

2023-02-02T11:54:49-05:00February 2, 2023|Breaking News, Top Stories|

Oral Health: Florida’s Untreated Public Health Crisis

COVID-19. Toxic blue-green algae. Asthma. Monkey Pox. Hardly a day goes by without a public health challenge making headlines in Florida. A growing, yet often untreated, public health crisis is the rotten state of many Floridians’ teeth and gums. Oral health problems don’t just affect an individual’s teeth. They affect our physical health as well as our self-image, emotional well-being, and even the ability to chew, speak, kiss, or smile – the very essence of our humanity. An epidemic five times more common than asthma “The connection between oral health and overall health and well-being is well-documented,” stated Dr. Frank Catalanotto, founder of Floridians for Dental Access, a coalition of ...Read More

2022-10-13T07:04:13-04:00October 13, 2022|Breaking News, Top Stories|