Floridians share disturbing stories of pain and suffering
“I have only 10 teeth left. They are all on my bottom jaw; they are broken at or near the gum line and completely rotted,” said Shawn S. from Brevard County. “I get infections at least once a month so I am constantly on antibiotics. Dentists want $2500 to pull them which I can’t afford. I have no upper teeth and no dentures for them.” Elevating the Voices of Those Most Impacted Heartbreaking stories like these are pouring in to an online “Share Your Story” forum that Floridians for Dental Access (FLDA) recently rolled out. The online forum was featured in an article by Florida Public News Service. American Children’s Campaign and FLDA are ...Read More
Report: Florida Children Utilize Hospital Emergency Rooms for Preventable Dental Issues At Highest Rate in Nation
A new report by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health®, a leading national nonprofit focused on creating a more accessible, equitable, and integrated oral health system, spotlights pediatric emergency department use for dental care in Florida. Researchers found that children in Florida aged 14 and younger are seeking dental care through emergency departments for non-traumatic dental conditions at one of the highest rates in the country. Use rates per 10,000 people were higher among Black (48.75) and Hispanic (22.95) children compared to white children (19.6). The most common diagnoses for these children at the time of their emergency department visit were abscesses, dental caries, stomatitis, and chronic gingivitis — conditions that are largely preventable with ...Read More
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 number of ...Read More
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 in a ...Read More
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 60 organizations ...Read More
Americans Overwhelmingly Support Investments in Children, National Poll Shows
By a 6-to-1 margin, voters agree too little is being spent Americans may be more divided on politics than ever before, but there’s one thing nearly everyone agrees upon: children are our future. Now, a national poll backs up this sentiment with hard data. By a 6-to-1 margin American voters believe the federal government is spending too little on the safety, health, and overall well-being of our children, according to a recent national poll of 1,000 likely voters by Lake Research Partners. The poll showed that Americans across divisions such as race, gender, or political party all consistently support permanently funding programs such as the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Children’s ...Read More