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Dental Therapy Legislation passes House Health & Human Services Committee

We’re proud to announce dental therapy legislation (HB 363) passed favorably through the House Health & Human Services Committee 19 to 6.

Thank you to Representative Linda Chaney for sponsoring this bill as well as every member of our coalition, everyone who contacted policymakers, and all who testified to make this possible. Our advocacy is working!

The next step is for HB 363 to be heard on the House floor.

You can view the hearing here. HB 363 is debated starting at 1:40:19 in the recording.
Dental therapy is sorely needed. Florida’s oral health crisis is among the worst in the nation. Nearly 6 million Floridians live in designated dental health professional shortage areas.

AUTHORIZING DENTAL THERAPISTS TO PRACTICE IN FLORIDA WILL:

  • Increase access to oral health services by giving dentists the choice to expand their dental teams through the licensure of dental therapists.
  • Ensure that Florida-licensed dental therapists practice under the supervision of a dentist.
  • Allow Medicaid to reimburse dental services provided by a mobile dental unit working with health access settings that care for underserved populations.