Brush twice a day, floss regularly, go see the dentist for a cleaning — we all know the recommendations for optimal oral health. But, turns out where you live may also matter.
When it comes to dental health, not all states are created equally.
A new roundup from personal finance website WalletHub looked at the best and worst states in the nation for dental health.
In its analysis, WalletHub cites a CDC report that found 36% of American adults have gone more than a year without seeing a dentist.
While some people avoid the dentist to skip the discomfort and anxiety that can come with a visit, there is also accessibility and affordability issues to consider.
WalletHub compared states across multiple categories related to dental habits and care and oral health. They looked at metrics like density of dentists, number of places providing free and reduced care and Medicaid dental benefits.
The report also weighed things like a state’s share of adults who smoke and how many sugary beverages a population is consuming.
On the list of overall rankings, Georgia just made the cut for the top 20. The Peach State ranked No. 18 for best dental health in the country.
It received a total score of 60.64 based on WalletHub’s number crunching (the No. 1 state, Wisconsin, earned a score of 75.69, for comparison).
Georgia made out better in the category of oral health (rank: 15) than it did dental habits and care (No. 24). But all in all, your pearly whites are in pretty good hands here in Georgia.
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