States with the Best and Worst Dental Health

Many people dislike visiting their dentist, especially if they haven’t kept up with their brushing and flossing. Some even have dental anxiety and phobia. But there are other people who wish they could go yet can’t afford it. According to the CDC, 36% of adults have gone over a year without seeing a dentist. The costs of frequent dental checks are worth it, though. A checkup costs $90-$137 on average while a filling can go for $230-$313 and a crown typically sets you back over $1,200. Prevention is cheaper than treatment.

But brushing, flossing and getting an annual checkup aren’t the only things that impact dental health. Where you live can have an effect, too. For example, certain areas of the U.S. have a higher density of dental professionals. And one of the biggest locational factors is the presence of fluoridated water, which can help prevent tooth decay. It’s so important, in fact, that the CDC projects that by 2020 nearly 80% of public water will have this benefit.

In order to determine which places have the healthiest teeth and gums in the U.S., WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 26 key indicators of dental wellness. Our data set ranges from share of adolescents who visited a dentist in the past year to dental treatment costs to share of adults with low life satisfaction due to oral condition.

Overall Rank (1=Best)	State	Total Score	‘Dental Habits & Care’ Rank	‘Oral Health’ Rank
1	Wisconsin	72.87	1	6
2	North Dakota	71.22	2	9
3	Minnesota	71.18	6	4
4	Connecticut	70.71	11	2
5	Illinois	70.39	22	1
6	District of Columbia	69.06	8	8
7	Michigan	66.83	10	11
8	New Jersey	65.73	38	3
9	Massachusetts	65.59	7	13
10	Ohio	65.11	34	7
11	Washington	64.14	31	10
12	Rhode Island	64.05	4	17
13	Idaho	63.43	26	12
14	Iowa	62.75	5	18
15	Hawaii	61.75	43	5
16	South Dakota	61.44	17	14
17	Oregon	60.93	9	21
18	Kansas	59.35	19	20
19	Delaware	58.94	18	23
20	Arizona	58.25	27	19
21	Nebraska	58.17	20	25
22	Vermont	57.49	3	35
23	Missouri	57.04	32	22
24	Maryland	56.85	25	26
25	Indiana	56.82	37	15
26	Virginia	56.71	12	28
27	Georgia	56.34	39	16
28	North Carolina	55.75	15	31
29	New Hampshire	55.10	16	32
30	New York	53.67	28	29
31	Colorado	53.34	13	37
32	New Mexico	52.64	24	33
33	Maine	51.92	29	34
34	Utah	51.60	21	39
35	Kentucky	51.17	14	41
36	Pennsylvania	50.85	46	24
37	Oklahoma	49.63	42	30
38	Wyoming	48.82	36	38
39	Nevada	48.29	47	27
40	South Carolina	46.29	41	40
41	Tennessee	44.70	48	36
42	California	43.01	40	43
43	Montana	42.68	23	48
44	Florida	42.34	45	42
45	Texas	41.56	33	47
46	Alaska	41.56	35	46
47	Louisiana	38.53	51	44
48	Alabama	38.48	49	45
49	West Virginia	36.63	30	51
50	Mississippi	32.97	44	49
51	Arkansas	31.25	50	50

Sadly, Arkansas is at the VERY BOTTOM.

Considering how dental health affects overall health, does it not concern you?

Please don’t be a statistic … we can help!

Extracted from https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-worst-dental-health/31498/

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