California, Alaska, Missouri, Florida and Texas are the top five states with the highest number of dental professional shortage areas, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration.
Here are the number of shortage areas in each of these states along with the employment numbers of dentists, hygienists and dental assistants, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Note: Employment statistics for specialty dentists was not available in each state.
California
Number of shortage areas: 545
General dentists: 14,760
Specialty dentists: N/A
Dental hygienists: 22,940
Dental assistants: 54,580
Alaska
Number of shortage areas: 333
General dentists: 260
Specialty dentists: N/A
Dental hygienists: 770
Dental assistants: 1,080
Missouri
Number of shortage areas: 324
General dentists: 1,980
Specialty dentists: 30
Dental hygienists: 2,840
Dental assistants: 7,380
Florida
Number of shortage areas: 278
General dentists: 8,400
Specialty dentists: N/A
Dental hygienists: 13,860
Dental assistants: 23,020
Texas
Number of shortage areas: 272
General dentists: 7,690
Specialty dentists: N/A
Dental hygienists: 16,010
Dental assistants: 31,360
