Drilling down into Florida’s oral health care crisis

Have a toothache? You may be out of luck. One in four Floridians live in areas designated by the government as having a shortage of dentists. These areas include Leon, Orange and Duval counties.

Heard of a dental therapist? They’re mid-level providers, akin to physician assistants and deliver preventive and routine restorative care. They’re highly educated, well trained, tested professionals.

Problem: They aren’t authorized to practice in Florida but could expand access to critical care if they were.

Kudos to Sen. Brandes and Rep. Plasencia for filing legislation to authorize dental therapists in the Sunshine State. Learn more  here.

– Dr. Temple Robinson, chief executive officer of the Bond Community Health Center Inc.