ExpressDentist.com has ranked all 50 states based on the quality of their dental health. The study looked at 25 factors, including number of dental visits and other similar criteria.
Connecticut has the best dental health. This is followed by the District of Colombia, Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Jersey. Arkansas, West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas have the worst dental health.
There are many factors impacting dental health, which the study aimed to quantity. For example, some parts of the United States have more dental professionals. Another factor that affects the health of your teeth is the availability of fluoridated water. Some states have a better approach to preventative dental care, which reduces the need for major work later down the line.
\”Some parts of the United States have a higher density of dental professionals, which makes not only access to dental care easier but also more affordable. Another locational factor that affects the health of your teeth is the availability of fluoridated water which is important to prevent tooth decay,\” said ExpressDentist.com. \”While some states provide fluoridated water to nearly all residents, others lag behind. Coverage for dental care also varies from state to state with some states providing no coverage under Medicaid and others providing limited, emergency, or extensive coverage.\”
The study methodology was fairly simple. There were 25 criteria that each provided the opportunity to score up to 4 points, meaning each state could score up to a maximum of 100. 6 indicators are based on the availability of dental health (\”Reason for not visiting a dentist among those without a visit in the last 12 months – Trouble finding a dentist\”), 6 indicators are based on dental habits (\”Percentage of young adults who visited a dentist in the past year\”) and 13 habits relate to oral health status (\”Percentage of adults aged 65 or older who reported having all teeth removed due to decay or gum disease\”).
