Floridians don’t have a lot to smile about; state ranks 44th for dental care

Feb. 07--Florida ranks near the bottom, at 44 out of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, for poor dental health, according to a study by WalletHub, an online personal finance website.

The Sunshine State didn't shine at all in various dental metrics, with rankings varying from 31 to 38, according to the findings.

Minnesota residents came in No. 1 with the best oral health, followed by Wisconsin, Connecticut, Illinois and North Dakota as the top five states.

At the bottom is Mississippi, with Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia and Montana in the four spots near the bottom.

Besides the cost of dental care, which makes access out of reach for many Americans, another hindrance is the scarcity of dentists in some regions, according to WalletHub.

Dr. Reinaldo Lasanta-Garcia, dental director for the Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida, which operates numerous medical and dental clinics in Collier County for underserved residents, said Florida's ranking was "expected, but I didn't expect the number to be what it was."

Florida ranks 36 among the states for the availability of dentists based on population, according to the findings. Massachusetts, South Dakota, Michigan, Maryland and the District of Columbia have the most dentists.

WalletHub reported that a checkup runs $85 to $100, and a filling $230 to $300.

The analysis was done using 25 metrics to come up with rankings, with weighted importance assigned to each on a 100-point scale.

Some of the metrics included such things as the share of teens who visited a dentist in the past year, treatment costs, dentists per capita, the share of people who have fluoridated water, availability of school-based dental sealant programs, the share of adult smokers, and availability of Medicaid dental benefits for adults by state.

Florida came in 31 among states and Washington, D.C., for a low percentage of teens having visited a dentist in the past year. The findings were almost as bad when it comes to adults, where just 38 percent of adults in Florida visited a dentist in the past year.

Medical professionals in Collier recognized a decade ago that access to dental care has been problematic for both children and adults, and campaigns to address it have been ongoing.

The Naples Children & Education Foundation, sponsors of the annual Naples Winter Wine Festival, which raises millions for a variety of programs, launched a dental care initiative for children in 2006.

NCEF and the Healthcare Network joined forces with the University of Florida's College of Dentistry to open the NCEF Pediatric Dental Center in 2008 on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College. The clinic and a team of pediatric dental residents from UF reported last year seeing 3,000 children a year for multiple visits.

The Healthcare Network also operates dental centers in Immokalee, East Naples and in central Naples, in addition to two mobile vans. Services are available on a sliding scale fee for the uninsured.

"Our objective is for everyone who comes through our door, whether insured or not or whether they have a job or not, to be able to get the care they need," Lasanta-Garcia said.

For children who need oral sedation in the clinics for dental procedures, there used to be a waiting list of two years, but that has been reduced to six months.

When hospital-based general anesthesia for a pediatric dental issue is necessary, the waiting list has reduced from more than one year to less than one year, said Thomas Van Pelt, director of operations for the Healthcare Network.

Physicians Regional Healthcare -- Collier Boulevard provides operating rooms for the dental surgeries through the NCEF partnership, and so does Lee Health, he said.

Recently, Miami Children's Hospital has been added to the fold, and a new van has been furnished from NCEF and Lipman Family Farms to help with transportation.

The nonprofit Neighborhood Health Clinic, at 120 Goodlette-Frank Road, began providing dental care to its existing medical clinic patients a decade ago. Neighborhood is building an expanded clinic adjacent to its current location to address expanded services.

"It's disappointing to learn that Florida rated so poorly," Dr. Tom Brick, leader of the dental expansion, said of the WalletHub report. "The dental volunteers at (the clinic) were approached by the medical volunteers with concern that pending medical surgeries were procrastinated due to oral infections."

Physicians become frustrated with the challenges of managing chronic diseases related to poor dental care, such as diabetes, he said.

"At present, we have over 40 patients on a waiting list for care. Therefore the (clinic) is expanding our program to meets those needs."

The WalletHub report said Florida came in 49th for adults with poor or fair oral health.

The state came in 31 for adults who experienced oral pain in the past year.

The lack of dental coverage through employer benefits plan and low benefit levels is a driving factor, Van Pelt, with the Healthcare Network, said. In 1960, the typical benefit coverage was $1,000 to $1,500, and it has remained stagnant.

Families without dental insurance often face the choice of buying food or getting a dental problem addressed, Lasanta-Garcia said.

"They will choose putting food on the table," he said. "We see that every day."

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