Become an Advocate

Oral Health Consumer Engagement

Giving a Voice to Consumers

To ensure that every child has the dental care they need to thrive, especially those that are vulnerable, it is fundamental that the government leaders, policymakers, and oral health stakeholders bring the consumer voices to all seats of decision-making.

Who is a consumer?

YOU ARE.

As a parent or a caretaker of Medicaid-enrolled child, you and your child are the consumers of Medicaid services.

Did you know that 40% of children in Florida rely on Medicaid for their dental care? To ensure that that the program is meeting the dental needs of the children and families that it serves, oral health larders must include your insights at the center of their oral health work. You access the services for your children on daily basis and therefore can bring new insights and first-hand information to the table which is often the crux of the matter. Your experiences are valuable pieces of the puzzle that can impact policy-development processes, program design and service deliver, and ultimately advancement of oral health equity and dental care transformation.

The Institute’s Consumer Engagement Research

The Institute’s recently published Oral Health Services Consumer Engagement Research Report elevates the voices of parents and caretakers of Medicaid-enrolled children and provides a glimpse into the current reality of children’s oral health in Florida. The report:

Documents the experiences and challenges of parents while seeking oral health for their children;
Outlines actions taken by the state or policies under consideration to address oral health inequities;
Provides information and recommendations to guide local and state organizations and oral health leaders as they work to evaluate and improve oral health care services and delivery in Florida.

This is a great resource to familiarize yourself with the current reality of oral health in Florida.

The Oral Health Parent Advisory Committee

The Oral Health Parents Advisory Committee (PAC) is an extension of the Institute’s Consumer Engagement research. The Oral Health PAC is an advocacy group comprised of parents and caretaker from across the state of Florida whose children, under 18 years of age, rely on Medicaid for their dental care. The committee advocates for families that access dental care through Medicaid helping to ensure that Medicaid-enrolled children and their families have a voice and an opportunity to shape the services that they receive.

The committee’s goal is to increase access to regular quality dental care for Medicaid-enrolled children across the state of Florida through advocacy efforts. The committee’s advocacy efforts center on one main priority: