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September 21, 2025
Armed with new data that show nearly $1 billion was spent on dental emergency room and hospital charges in 2024, a wide coalition of health care advocates is pushing the Legislature to approve a new mid-level dental health care provider known as dental therapists.
Floridians for Dental Access is an effort led by Dr. Frank Catalanotto and it’s got the blessing of House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, who first sponsored the legislation as a freshman legislator. Past attempts have been quashed by the Florida Senate, which has targeted billions on bolstering the state’s health care workforce in recent years but has been unwilling to sign off on the idea.
Rural counties are some of the hardest hit by dental shortages and cost increases with nearly 41% of Florida’s 32 rural counties reporting a 77% increase in dental-related hospital and emergency room billings.