Benchmarking

Several Southern states struggle with a lack of access to dental care, according to a survey from orthodontics company Byte.

The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health nonprofit recently launched an online tool giving insight into the extensiveness of adult Medicaid dental coverage in each state.

From the top paying industries to the average hourly wage, here are 12 statistics on dental assistant pay in 2022: 

From the top paying states to average annual salary, here are 24 statistics on dental hygienist pay in 2022:

California is the state with the highest number of active dentists and the most dental shortage areas, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

The U.S. is in need of 11,742 dental practitioners to relieve shortage areas, according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

The average annual salaries in the lowest ranking states for dental health range between $33,560 and $38,370 for dental assistants and between $57,670 and $75,970 for dental hygienists.

The average annual salaries for dental hygienists and assistants range between $37,860 and $88,610 in the highest ranking states for dental health, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and dental provider Express Dentists.

Thirty two dental companies recently ranked among the fastest growing in the U.S. by Inc. 5000.

Alaska is the most expensive state to get a dental X-ray, according to Sidecar Health's care calculator.