Mississippi is the worst state for dental health, according to personal finance website WalletHub, while having 175 dental shortage areas, according to data from the Health Resources and Service Administration.
In WalletHub's rankings from Feb. 1, the states were ranked based on two major metrics: dental habits and care and oral health. Those two categories were split up into 26 smaller metrics with varying weight. Read more on the methodology here.
Here are the bottom 10 states for dental health, with their scores out of 100 points, compared with the number of dental shortage areas each state has in 2023:
1. Mississippi: 33.42
Number of shortage areas: 175
2. Arkansas: 35.14
Number of shortage areas: 113
3. West Virginia: 36.04
Number of shortage areas: 120
4. Montana: 38.95
Number of shortage areas: 134
5. Texas: 39.39
Number of shortage areas: 320
6. Louisiana: 39.47
Number of shortage areas: 171
7. Alaska: 39.82
Number of shortage areas: 318
8. Alabama: 40.50
Number of shortage areas: 87
9. California: 43.49
Number of shortage areas: 529
10. Florida: 44.08
Number of shortage areas: 276