The Alliance Sets Out to Empower the Profession
This innovative nonprofit is redefining professional support and access-to-care advocacy for dental hygienists in Florida. By prioritizing inclusion, transparency, and systemic change, the alliance is making oral health equity a reality, one partnership at a time.
In 2024, a groundbreaking new voice emerged in Florida’s oral health landscape: the Florida Dental Hygiene Alliance. Founded to expand access to equitable dental care and reduce oral health disparities, the organization is quickly becoming a transformative force for dental hygienists and underserved communities alike. With a commitment to collaboration, advocacy, and inclusion, the organization has already made waves across the state and it’s just getting started. Due to the similarity to the Florida Dental Hygienists’ Association, the organization will be changing its name to the Dental Hygiene Alliance of Florida (the Alliance).
“Our mission is to support the evolving role of dental hygienists through education, advocacy, and access to resources, with an emphasis on collaboration over hierarchy,” says Catherine Cabanzon, CRDH, BASDH, co-founder and vice president of the Alliance. “We prioritize open dialogue, and many of our members have told us they feel truly heard and seen, often for the first time.”
Unlike traditional dental hygiene associations, the alliance was founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which allows it to apply for a broader range of grants and funding opportunities. “This difference is critical,” explains Cabanzon. “As a 501(c)(3), we have been able to successfully apply for local, state, and national grants. Since our launch, the Alliance has received two grants to support legislator and dental community education on dental therapy.”
One of the Alliance’s cornerstone efforts is promoting the role of dental therapists to alleviate Florida’s growing access-to-care crisis. In collaboration with more than 500 organizations and individuals through the Floridians for Dental Access coalition, the Alliance has supported key legislative milestones. “In 2024, Florida saw a historic milestone when dental therapy legislation passed the full House of Representatives for the first time.” Cabanzon explains. “This was a major achievement and reflects the growing momentum behind this workforce innovation.”
Cabanzon’s own career reflects the Alliance’s mission. She has extensive experience in clinical dental hygiene, education, policy, and leadership. In 2009, Cabanzon sat on the Florida Department of Health, Florida Oral Health Workforce Workgroup, moving forward access to care initiatives in the state. These partnerships have led her to develop and manage oral health programs such as the Head Start Dental Home Initiative, the Dental Home Initiative for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, the Pediatric Fluoride Varnish program, and the Florida Department of Health’s Third Grade Oral Health Surveillance project.
Beyond legislation, the Alliance actively empowers professionals through no-cost continuing education, social media campaigns, and leadership development. One recent initiative addressed confusion over new background screening requirements for license renewals. The Alliance collaborated with the Department of Health to host a live, step-by-step webinar that was later made available as a permanent free resource.
“At the Alliance, we believe that access to critical information, such as legislative updates and continuing education, should be provided at no cost,” Cabanzon explains. “Because our organizational structure does not rely on membership dues to operate, we are able to offer free CE opportunities and timely updates. We simply ask professionals to follow us on social media and engage with our mission.”
As the Alliance looks to the future, plans include securing grants to support oral-systemic health literacy and launching integrated care models that include dental hygienists on oncology teams. “We believe that collaboration, not uniformity, is what strengthens our profession,” Cabanzon asserts.
