A bill that would authorize the creation of dental therapists in Florida has been postponed by the Florida Senate, according to a March 3 report from Florida Politics.
The Florida House of Representatives passed House Bill 363 in an 80-29 vote in February. The bill allows dental therapists to administer local anesthesia and nitrous oxide, as well as complete nonsurgical tooth extractions.
With no companion bill being filed in the Senate, the House bill was temporarily postponed by the Senate Rules Committee.
Bill sponsor Rep. Linda Chaney claimed that the bill would help address dental shortages in the state. Ms. Chaney said that Florida lacks about 1,300 dentists, and nearly 6 million residents live in health professional shortage areas.
This is not the first time that legislation to create the dental therapist position has failed in Florida.
