House passes bill to create dental therapist position despite Democrats' warnings

House passes bill to create dental therapist position despite Democrats' warnings

The House has passed a bill to create a new mid-level job of “dental therapists” in between dental hygienists and dentists. With a partisan vote of 80-29, Republicans applauded the bill (HB 363) for helping fix Florida’s dentist shortage, while Democrats warned that patients’ health could be at risk. The shortage is acute in some regions. Dixie and Gilchrist counties have zero licensed dentists, while other counties have a ratio of only about 80…