Changing Office Protocols to Integrate Prevention and Fluoride for Every Patient, Adult and Child

Catherine Cabanzon graduated with honors from Palm Beach Community College, with an associate degree in Dental Hygiene and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene from St. Petersburg College. Her extensive background in the profession of dental hygiene includes, clinical hygiene in general and periodontal practices, community health program development, grant writing, clinical education and practice management consultant. Additionally, she is a national speaker, and educational consultant for Orapharma, Inc. since 2005, lecturing at RDH Under One Roof, as well as an education consultant for Dental Product Shoppers.

Her passion for oral health and her desire to serve her community through early prevention and education has brought her to work with many national, state and county leaders. In 2009 she sat on the Florida Department of Health, Florida Oral Health Workforce Workgroup moving forward access to care initiatives in Florida. 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.

Presently Catherine holds an appointment by Governor Rick Scott to the Florida Board of Dentistry (FLBOD) since 2012, where she served as Vice-Chair and the very first dental hygienist to serve as the Chair in 2015-2016. She is the FLBOD Chair to the Council on Dental Hygiene, and Rules Committee and serves on the Steering Committee to the Commission on Dental Competency Assessment (CDCA) as well as the Dental Hygiene Exam Committee for the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX). She is the Chair of the Palm Beach County Oral Health Coalition and is a member of the American Dental Hygienists' Association and the Florida Dental Hygienists' Association.