Americans are losing their teeth much more often in some states.
Tooth loss is a problem in the U.S., largely because of differences in income, fewer dentists in rural areas and higher smoking rates in some places.
In 2022, around 34% of people aged 18 to 64 years had tooth loss, which remains flat from levels in 2020, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But 19 states came above the national average and the worst performing states are among the poorest in the country.
The five states with the highest percentage of people with tooth loss were:
- West Virginia (45.3%)
- Mississippi (44%)
- Arkansas (41.8%)
- Kentucky (41.6%)
- Louisiana (40.1%)
The five states with the lowest percentage of tooth loss were:
- Vermont (27.6%)
- Minnesota (28%)
- Colorado (29%)
- Virginia (29%)
- South Dakota (29.5%)
A similar trend plays out for people who have lost six or more teeth.
Around 32% of people aged 65 and older lost six or more teeth in 2022, according to the CDC.
There were 16 states that came above the national average.
The five states with the highest percentage of people aged 65 and up who lost six or more teeth were:
- West Virginia (52.3%)
- Kentucky (48.9%)
- Mississippi (44.1%)
- Arkansas (41%)
- Alabama (40.6%)
The five states with the lowest percentage of people aged 65 and older who lost six or more teeth were:
- Hawaii (17.9%)
- Colorado (20.7%)
- Utah (23.2%)
- Washington (23.6%)
- Minnesota (23.8%)
What is causing tooth loss in the U.S.?
How many people lose teeth is just one sign of dental health across the nation.
Not all states offer the same level of dental care and regular checkups are more common in certain places, among other factors such as fluoridated water and cigarette smoking, according to the Dental SEO Company, which collected data and scored states to rank them.
States with high dental visit rates, low smoking rates and widespread fluoridated water performed the best.
California ranked the best for dental health in the nation largely thanks to having the third-lowest smoking rate and fourth-highest number of dentists.
West Virginia ranked the worst for dental health largely because of having the fewest adults keeping all their teeth, the highest number of seniors who have lost six or more teeth and the highest smoking rate in the country.
