Pew Report: Florida dental care poor

Florida is 1 of 15 states to receive D for dental care

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When Pew's 50-state report was released, Florida, along with most states, fell short when it came to preventing tooth decay.

Florida received a 'D' grade in the recently released Pew Children's Dental Campaign.

Jacksonville dentist Dr. Holly Nadji said she wasn't happy when she heard the news, but said there's a lots of things parents can do to help their children become free of tooth decay.

"I am encouraging more parents to help their children get to the dentist," said Nadji. "Once every six months is what the American Dental Association recommends for the prevention of tooth decay."

Pew's grades are based on indicators that the group says should be part of every state's prevention strategy, like improving access to sealants for low-income children.

"By having sealants done on our children, we are preventing decay on their teeth," said Nadji.

Sealants are a plastic material that go on one's teeth and are used to prevent cavities and tooth decay. Dr. Nadji said there are other ways to prevent decay.

"The good news is that you can always make things better by making sure that our children get to the dentist, making sure that we supervise our children's home care and by these methods, we can hopefully get a better grade next time the test comes around for the state of Florida," said Nadji.

Florida was one of 15 states to receive a D for dental care. Five states received an F for their efforts to prevent tooth decay and cavities.

To read the entire report, click here.