Menu
Florida leads the nation in the number of individuals living in dental health professional shortage areas. Millions of Floridians live in pain or miss school and work because they can’t find or afford dental care in their communities.
Poor oral health is not only damaging to children’s and adults’ physical health and self-image, but also it can be life threatening. Untreated cavities and poor oral health impair children’s ability to learn and their school performance.
Many myths persist about the state of oral health in Florida, but here’s the reality: Florida ranks poorly on most oral health indicators. Consider these facts:
Florida leads the nation in the number of individuals living in designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Nearly all – 65 out of Florida’s 67 counties – have them, affecting over 7.1 million individuals.
Like many chronic conditions, the largest burden of disease occurs among marginalized groups such as those living in poverty; members of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities; frail elders; immigrant populations; those with special health care needs; and others.
Top contributing factors to unmet oral health needs include:
Cost: High out-of-pocket costs for dental care is a top reason why Floridians avoid going to the dentist – even if they have dental insurance. Low-income families spend 10 times of their total income on dental care than that of wealthier families. Without dental coverage or the ability to afford care, many adults delay treatment as long as they can. This means they need more expensive and extensive oral care than they would if they had seen a dentist earlier in the disease process.
Provider Availability: With 65 out of 67 Florida counties having designated Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas, millions of Floridians have trouble finding a dentist in their local communities. Long waiting times to be seen or having to travel long distances to be seen are common. 41% of Medicaid adults report that they did not visit a dentist within the last 12 months. Floridians with Medicaid have exceptional access difficulties since only 18% of Florida dentists accept Medicaid.
Coverage: Nearly one in five (19.5%) of Florida adults ages 19 – 64 are uninsured. Florida is one of 10 states nationwide that severely limits dental coverage for adult Medicaid recipients to emergencies only.
The importance of oral health and the wide disparities in accessing dental care has led to statewide movement for dental workforce reform in Florida that would establish dental therapists as members of the oral health team. Dental therapists would work under supervision of dentists and perform the most common basic dental procedures such as exams, preventive procedures and fillings. In this limited scope of procedures, dental therapists are educated and trained to the exact same standard as dentists.
The oral health care system in our state is failing millions of Floridians each year. Barriers such as high cost of care, provider shortages, lack of dental coverage, transportation issues, cultural and linguistic accessibility persist throughout Florida. Dental therapy is an evidence-based solution for increasing access to dental care. Click here to learn more about dental therapy.
For more information, please visit these pages: