Which State Has Women With the Best Dental Health?

Which State Has Women With the Nicest Smiles?

Women in Connecticut are great about sticking to a regular schedule of dentist appointments. In Mississippi, not as much.

By Cynthia Ramnarace - March 26, 2013

Photo Credit: iVillage

0 See all

If you live in Connecticut, you’ve made going to the dentist when you’re supposed to a priority. In the Constitution State, 83.7 percent of women make time to go to the dentist at least once a year. Women in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Iowa and Rhode Island also score high marks when it comes to dental hygiene.

Dental health is clearly connected to overall health, reports The Mayo Clinic. If left unchecked, the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease can enter the bloodstream and trigger the inflammation that is a hallmark of heart disease. Dental care is especially important for women with diabetes because of the increased risk of gum infections that can lead to tooth loss. It may be no coincidence that Mississippi women have both the worst rate of diabetes and the lowest percentage of women who see a dentist annually.

Here are the state rankings for women visiting the dentist: #1 has the best teeth; #50 needs to get to the dentist pronto. All numbers are percentages of women who are getting to the dentist at least once a year.

Rank	State	%
1	Connecticut	83.7
2	Massachusetts	82.8
3	Minnesota	80.2
4	Iowa	80
5	Rhode Island	79
6	New Hampshire	78.3
6	Wisconsin	78.3
8	Virginia	77.9
9	Maryland	77.2
10	South Dakota	77.1
11	Vermont	77
12	New Jersey	76.9
13	Delaware	76.4
14	Utah	76.2
15	Kansas	75.7
16	Hawaii	75.2
17	New York	75
18	Ohio	74.8
19	North Dakota	74.5
20	Pennsylvania	74.4
21	Michigan	74.3
22	Washington	73.8
23	Nebraska	73.4
24	Alaska	73.3
25	Oregon	72.4
26	Maine	72.3
27	California	72
28	Georgia	71.9
28	Illinois	71.9
30	Idaho	71.6
31	Wyoming	71.5
32	Indiana	71.2
33	Arizona	70.6
34	Colorado	70.4
35	North Carolina	70.2
36	New Mexico	70.1
37	Tennessee	69
38	Nevada	68.3
39	Florida	67.2
40	Kentucky	66.9
41	Louisiana	66.3
42	Alabama	66
43	Missouri	65.2
44	South Carolina	64.4
45	Arkansas	63.9
46	Montana	63.4
46	West Virginia	63.4
48	Texas	63.7
49	Oklahoma	59.7
50	Mississippi	59.6

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010

Comments See all