Michigan, Illinois, And Ohio Top 10 in US Dental Health
I personally pay a lot of attention to my own teeth, gums, tongue, and other parts of my mouth that contribute to dental health. I understand that insurance does create a barrier for some people in receiving dental care but in my opinion it's something that everyone should have at the forefront of their responsibilities. Our mouths are something that most people look at when they are in conversation with someone so everyone should want to have nice teeth and breath.
Some people are born with great teeth that are white and straight while others have to deal with gum disease, yellowing teeth, crookedness, and other faults. Whether something happens that causes you to chip your tooth or cause other damage to your mouth or you were born that way, there are many different avenues that can be taken to fix that. Believe it or not, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio are all ranked within the top 10 in America for their dental health.
WalletHub has been busy finding data across many different demographics for the most important issues in our life. This time, they wanted to take a look at the dental health habits and care across the country, looking to find out how the states compare against each other in these areas. Surprisingly, the Midwest did very well in these rankings as their overall Oral health, dental habits, and dental care numbers were amongst the best figures in the nation.
Land Of Lincoln Leading The Pack
Illinois happens to be the number one state in the entire country when it comes to dental health statistics in the United States. They have been ranked as the number 1 for overall oral health, number 7 for their dental habits and dental care, giving them an overall score of 72.61, which is better than Wisconsin who is in 2nd with an overall score of 71.82.
Illinois has the lowest percentage of those frequently experiencing pain or problems sleeping in the past year due to the condition of their mouth and teeth. Illinois also has the lowest share of people with teeth in “poor” or “fair” condition overall. Their boost to the top comes from almost all Illinois residents having access to fluoridated water, the school-based dental sealant program, and the extensive dental benefits for nonelderly adults through Medicaid.
Mitten State In The Top 5
Michigan wasn't far behind and as someone who pays close attention to how people's mouths look when they are talking to me this is kind of surprising but also makes me happy. I'm glad that we care enough about our teeth and mouths to take care of them. We rank 2nd in our dental habits and dental care but our rank drops down to 12th for our overall oral health, giving us an overall score of 70.09 locking us in at 5th, only .30 points behind Minnesota.
Buckeyes Battle To 10th
Ohio managed to find their way into this conversation as well, making this area of the Midwest dominate and some of the best when it comes to dental health. There is a significant drop between Illinois and Michigan who are in the top 5 and Ohio who just squeezes into the top 10. They are just barely ranked top 10 in overall oral health as they come in at 9th but their dental habits and care are ranked at 19th, which gives them a overall score of 65.21 ranking them firmly at 10.