Florida Senate - 2014                            (NP)    SR 1232
       
       
        
       By Senator Hays
       
       
       
       
       
       11-00592A-14                                          20141232__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing April 2, 2014, as “Dentists’
    3         Day on the Hill.”
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, the Florida Dental Association, a statewide
    6  professional membership organization representing nearly 6,500
    7  licensed dentists in this state, was established in 1884 to
    8  advance the public health through professional education and
    9  public advocacy while promoting high practice standards and
   10  improving the professional practice environment, and
   11         WHEREAS, studies show that good oral health may help
   12  prevent heart disease, arterial blockage, stroke, diabetes,
   13  bacterial pneumonia, preterm delivery, and low birth weight, and
   14         WHEREAS, the Florida Dental Association is promoting
   15  “Creating a Masterpiece” to emphasize that oral health is
   16  directly linked to a person’s overall health, and
   17         WHEREAS, the Florida Dental Association has developed
   18  “Mouth Wise,” a dental health education curriculum designed to
   19  give children a basic understanding of their teeth, mouths, and
   20  gums, the importance of preventive dentistry, and the
   21  relationship of preventive dentistry to overall health care, and
   22         WHEREAS, the Florida Dental Association has also developed
   23  a “Mouth Wise” dental health education curriculum for middle
   24  school students which teaches the importance of dental health
   25  care in four modules, “Nutrition and Soda Consumption,” “The Use
   26  of Mouth Guards,” “Smokeless Tobacco,” and “Oral Piercing,” and
   27         WHEREAS, in 1993 the Florida Dental Association joined
   28  efforts with the Department of Health’s Volunteer Health Care
   29  Provider Program to create “Project: Dentists Care,” a dental
   30  access program that, in 2013, provided care for underserved
   31  adults and children statewide, donating an estimated $10 million
   32  in services, and
   33         WHEREAS, in February 2014, dentists in this state
   34  volunteered dental services for the annual “Give Kids A Smile”
   35  event, NOW, THEREFORE,
   36  
   37  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   38  
   39         That April 2, 2014, is recognized as “Dentists’ Day on the
   40  Hill.”
   41         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
   42  presented to the Florida Dental Association as a tangible token
   43  of the sentiments expressed in this resolution.