Bennett Napier's column, 'Some Dental Parts May Pose Danger' (Other Views, Oct. 25) was both inaccurate and misleading. The Florida Dental Association's (FDA) 7,000 members interact with dental labs on a daily basis as they are a fundamental part of dentistry. Increased regulation of these labs would not enhance the security of Florida consumers, but rather increase dental costs by more than $1 million. ...more

October 29, 2007

Over the past several months millions of toys have been recalled because of dangerous levels of lead. The concern over these products is real. As attention on the toy recalls grows, Floridians need to know that there are many things you can do to prevent lead poisoning. ...more

October 26, 2007

SEBRING — In Highlands County, six infants died in 2004, seven in 2005, and 11 in 2006. Those don't seem like high numbers, considering that 1,004 babies are born here every year. But take a second look: the number of infant deaths has almost doubled in two years, and Mary Jo Plews is troubled. Plews, executive director of Healthy Start Coalition of Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties, said a committee is still looking at individual cases in Highlands County to determine why the infant mortality rate went up so drastically. One reason, she realized, is that Highlands is a small county, so the statistics themselves are small. For instance, Lafayette County had only three infant deaths from 2004-06, but since there were only 295 live births in the same three years, the mortality rate was 11.7 percent, one of the highest in the state. ...more

October 26, 2007

Hillsborough County school officials are sending letters home with students alerting parents about a common skin infection that has received some uncommon attention recently. ...more

October 24, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - The Third annual Hernando County community Health Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 at the Elks Lodge, 14494 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville. The event is free. ...more

October 1, 2007

Florida's landmark victory over the forces of Big Tobacco, secured by the vigorous efforts of Gov. Lawton Chiles and former Attorney General Bob Butterworth 10 years ago this month, has left an enduring legacy that has proudly protected a generation of our children from the lethal lure of cigarette smoking. ...more

September 25, 2007

SPRING HILL - A Spring Hill woman forged her credentials to get extra pay as a licensed practical nurse at Deltona Elementary School, authorities say. ...more

September 20, 2007

ORLANDO - A third Central Florida death this summer is linked to a freshwater amoeba, the Florida Department of Health has confirmed. ...more

September 8, 2007

TAMPA - A freshwater amoeba suspected in two Central Florida deaths within a month is largely a mystery to doctors because cases of the brain infection it causes are so rare. The Florida Department of Health is investigating the two deaths to see whether the victims died from a rare infection caused by a microscopic creature that lives in every body of freshwater in the state. ...more

September 6, 2007