TWO-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
Florida’s Action for Dental Health is a comprehensive effort developed by the Florida Dental Association to improve the oral health and resulting overall health of all Floridians.
CONTENTS Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Oral Health in Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Florida’s Action for Dental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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• Promote attainable dental care for the uninsured and underserved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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• Maximizing the capacity of the current workforce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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• Expanding opportunities for public health dentistry to serve Floridians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Sharing the Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Building Key Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Thank You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2016 Florida Mission of Mercy, Prime Osborn Convention Center, Jacksonville, FL.
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT The mission of Florida’s Action for Dental Health is to improve the oral health and resulting overall health of all Floridians. For the past two years, the Florida Dental Association (FDA) and its more than 7,000 members have worked to implement many of the strategies outlined in this initiative. With guidance from the FDA’s Workforce Innovation Task Group, chaired by Dr. Jolene Paramore, we continue to build upon our objectives to increase access to dental care. A healthy mouth is essential to a healthy body, and Florida dentists believe everyone - from pediatric to geriatric patients- deserves quality dental care. We are pleased to share this progress report with you, which highlights some of the key successes and positive movement of Florida’s Action for Dental Health. We continue to partner with a wide array of stakeholder groups to strengthen our interprofessional collaborations and continue the advancement of this initiative. Our efforts are focused on promoting attainable dental care for the uninsured and underserved, maximizing the capacity of the current workforce, and expanding opportunities for public health dentistry to serve Floridians. We look forward to more progress and ask for you to join us in advocating for oral health for all our citizens. Together, we can do so much!
DR. BILL D’AIUTO President, Florida Dental Association
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ORAL HEALTH IN FLORIDA
In 2014, more than 163,000 Floridians visited the emergency department for a dental-related issue at a cost of more than $234 million.1
CHILDREN’S ORAL HEALTH TOOTH DECAY is the most common chronic childhood disease
TOOTHACHES are the
#1
5x
more common than asthma
reason children miss school.3
20x
AND
Kids with TOOTH PAIN are
30%
Only of children in Florida with Medicaid coverage visited a dentist in 2013, compared to a national average of 48%.4
4x
30
%
FL
more common than diabetes in children.2
vs.
more likely to have a low GPA.3
48
%
U.S.
RURAL DENTAL HEALTH
700,000 Floridians live in Florida’s 30 rural counties.
4
vs.
RURAL
TOOTH DECAY is more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas.
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URBAN
More than
Rural communities have higher rates of seniors who experience tooth loss vs. urban communities.6
29 of Florida’s 30 rural counties lack sufficient access to a dentist.
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Key findings from a survey of nearly 15,000 Florida adults on their oral health.8
30%
For nearly of adults, life is generally less satisfying due to the condition of their mouth and teeth.
1/3
MORE THAN of adults experienced difficulty biting/chewing, and 27% experienced pain.
1 in 4 experience anxiety related to their oral condition.
50%
Nearly of low income adults avoid smiling due to the condition of their mouth and teeth.
2/3
of adults shared they accept that as they grow old, they will lose some of their teeth.
1 in 4 adults say that the appearance of their mouth and teeth affects their ability to interview for a job.
SOURCES: 1. U.S. Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/ 2. www.mychildrensteeth.org/assets/2/7/ECCstats.pdf 3. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3482021/ 4. Florida’s Oral Health Care System. American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. www.ada.org/en/science-research/health-policy-institute/oralhealth-care-system/Florida-facts 5. Rural Assistance Center. Available at www.raconline.org/states/florida
6. Rural Healthy People 2010. Volume 1. The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health, Southwest Rural Health Research Center. Available at sph.tamhsc.edu/srhrc/docs/rhp-2010volume1.pdf 7. Health Resources and Services Administration, Health Provider Shortage Areas. datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/tools/analyzers/HpsaFind.aspx 8. Oral Health & Well-Being in Florida. American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. www.ada.org/en/science-research/health-policy-institute/ oral-health-and-well-being/Florida-facts
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FLORIDA’S ACTION FOR DENTAL HEALTH OBJECTIVE 1: Promote attainable dental care for the uninsured and underserved in Florida. Key Strategies:
DDS Volunteer Dr. Michael Dorociak and DDS patient Linda, a 70 year-old Bradenton resident.
Increase the effectiveness of the Medicaid dental program in providing preventive care and treatment. • When the FDA spoke with WFSU-FM about Florida’s Action for Dental Health in 2015, a caller raised concerns that some foster children in Florida could not get dental services through the Florida Department of Health (DOH). Within six months, the FDA and DOH collaborated and secured dental care services for foster children in eight counties. Secure state funding for coordinator to match special needs and medically compromised patients with volunteer dentists through Florida Donated Dental Services. • Since 1997, nearly 1,700 of Florida’s most vulnerable patients have received more than $6.9 million worth of donated dental treatment services. • In 2016, the Florida legislature appropriated $170,000 in the state’s budget for two fulltime coordinators and operating expenses for Florida Donated Dental Services (DDS). Although the funds were vetoed by the Governor, the FDA is working to educate the legislative and executive branches on the significant impact this program could have on reducing unnecessary costs to hospitals by providing dental care services at no charge to individuals who would otherwise end up seeking care in the emergency room.
DDS Patient Personal Story: Linda lives alone in Bradenton and has chronic health problems. Her dentures had been broken for many years, leaving her toothless and unable to chew properly. She experienced significant weight loss, painful digestive problems and excruciating cysts in her mouth. Her Medicaid and Medicare benefits did not cover the extensive dental treatment she needed. Dr. Dorociak and a team of volunteers extracted five teeth and root tips and donated full upper and lower dentures provided by volunteer lab DSG Group Practice Solutions.
“Without your help, she would still be suffering daily with no end in sight. Words cannot adequately express how grateful we are for the badly needed dental work you have done for her.” – LINDA’S FAMILY
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OBJECTIVE 2: Collaborate to maximize use and capacity of the current dental workforce to optimally serve Floridians with preventive and therapeutic dental care. Key Strategies: Establish Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) education programs at dental, dental assisting and dental hygiene schools in Florida and incorporate CDHCs into the dental team. • Ten dental professionals from South Florida and Tampa graduated from Florida’s first CDHC program in 2016, where they received training to deliver oral health education, preventive services and assistance in navigating the health care system. These CDHCs are now working in their own communities to help bridge barriers to oral health, such as poverty, geography, language and a lack of understanding of oral hygiene.
Patient at FDAF Project: Dentists Care event.
Support and expand the volunteer safety net programs including the FDA-supported Project: Dentists Care clinics and Florida Mission of Mercy events. • The Florida Dental Association Foundation’s (FDAF) 2014 and 2016 Florida Mission of Mercy events provided more than 4,500 patients with more than 24,000 free dental treatment services worth $3.7 million. Photo of 2016 CDHC graduates with Dr. Claudia Serna (bottom center).
• In 2015-2016, the FDAF’s Project: Dentists Care program provided more than 19,000 patients with more than $4.2 million worth of free dental care. 7
OBJECTIVE 3: Expand opportunities for public health dentistry to serve Floridians. Key Strategies: Establish and adequately fund a dental student loan repayment program. • During the 2016 Legislative Session, the FDA successfully passed legislation to establish a dental student loan repayment program through dental care access accounts. Although the legislation did not become law, the FDA will continue its efforts to pursue legislative initiatives to support our focus on increasing access to dental care in rural and underserved areas. Increase state supported funding for community water fluoridation. • Secured $200K to support community water fluoridation in communities throughout Florida. Water fluoridation is the most efficient, safe and cost-effective public health measure to prevent and repair tooth decay, as it reduces dental decay by 25 – 45% and provides $43 in savings in dental treatment for every $1 invested.
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SHARING THE MESSAGE In more than
30 news stories in media outlets throughout Florida.
BREAK BARRIERS TO GOOD ORAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL FLORIDIANS “The FDA will continue to advocate for dental health care and education for all Floridians. Everyone should have the opportunity to have good oral health. As a state, as employers and as individuals, we need to recognize that oral health is essential to overall health and quality of life and promote more collaborative solutions for these issues.” - DR. BILL D’AIUTO, President of the Florida Dental Association
IT’S TIME TO ADDRESS CHILDREN’S ACCESS TO DENTAL CARE “Recognizing the need to improve oral health for all Floridians, the Florida Dental Association (FDA) created Florida’s Action for Dental Health, a comprehensive effort to address obstacles to dental care in Florida. Successes achieved to date include the restoration of dental care services for foster children in eight counties and the launch of Florida’s first community dental health coordinator program, which trains dental professionals to deliver oral health education and preventive services.”
SHATTERED SMILES “People who have poor oral health become a burden on the system, they suffer poor health and they often can’t keep a job. Making childhood dental disease go away would affect people for their lifetime. It’s hard for us to understand how that investment is not important.” - DR. JOLENE PARAMORE, Vice President of the Florida Dental Association
- DR. RALPH C. ATTANASI, Immediate Past-President of the Florida Dental Association
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BUILDING KEY PARTNERSHIPS
“The Florida Rural Health Association (FRHA) supports the proposal to establish dental care access accounts to encourage dentists to practice in rural health professional shortage areas. This proposal will improve access to dental health services, reduce workforce shortages and improve the geographic distribution of the professional dental care workforce. Limited access to dental care is an ongoing challenge faced by residents of rural Florida, and the results are costly emergency room visits for preventable dental problems and missed days of school and lower school performance due to toothaches.” - THE FLORIDA RURAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION on the FDA’s championed Dental Care Access Account legislation
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THANK YOU The Florida Dental Association would like to thank our partners and many other stakeholder groups for their continuous support and collaboration in helping to improve access to oral health care for all Floridians. Recently, the FDI Dental World Federation, the principal representative body for over one million dentists worldwide, issued a new definition of oral health, which has been adopted by the American Dental Association: Oral health is multifaceted and includes the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow, and convey a range of emotions through facial expressions with confidence and without pain, discomfort and disease of the craniofacial complex. It also attributes oral health as a fundamental component of health and physical and mental well-being and a reflection of the physiological, social, and psychological attributes that are essential to the quality of life. This new definition encompasses the full scope and impact of oral health on an individual’s health, wellbeing and ability to contribute to society and illustrates the importance of ensuring that all Floridians have the opportunity to achieve oral health. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners, other stakeholder groups and elected officials throughout the state to maximize our resources and make a greater impact on the overall health of our citizens.
FDA leaders with Dr. Gary Roberts, President of the ADA.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The FDA would like to recognize the members of the Workforce Innovation Task Group for the development of Florida’s Action for Dental Health.
The FDA would also like to recognize the members of the Sub-Workgroup on Elder Care which contributed to this report.
Dr. Jolene Paramore (Chair)
Dr. Nolan Allen (Chair)
Dr. Jim Antoon
Dr. Terry Buckenheimer
Dr. Ralph Attanasi
Dr. Don Ilkka
Dr. Terry Buckenheimer
Bob Macdonald
Dr. Bill D’Auito
Dr. Cesar Sabates
Dr. Michael Eggnatz
Dr. Richard Stevenson
Dr. Richard Huot Dr. Kim Jernigan Dr. George Kolos Dr. Rodrigo Romano Dr. Barry Setzer Dr. Richard Stevenson
CONTACT: Joe Anne Hart, Government Affairs Office
jahart@floridadental.org
Drew Eason, MA. CAE, Executive Director
deason@floridadental.org
118 E. Jefferson St., Tallahassee, FL 32301 12
850.224.1089
floridadental.org