Southern Charm Not Including Dental Hygiene These Days

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DENTAL NEWS
Residents who live in the southern part of the US and was likely to visit the dentist according to a recent Gallup poll. In fact, 9 of the bottom 10 states for dental visits were in the South with an average of less than 56% of its residents visiting the dentist in the past 12 months compared to the national average of 65%, the latter which hasn't changed in the past few years.

Poor dental health has been linked to variety of serious medical problems including heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and even preterm (i.e. premature) births.

Massachusetts and Connecticut led all US states in dental visits with 75% of residents in both states reporting that they visited the dentist in the last 12 months while Mississippi (51.9%) and Louisiana (54.8%) were at the bottom of the list. This disparity is likely the result of poverty as more than 72% of residents of the top 10 states for dental visits have health insurance compared to an average insurance rate of 56% for the bottom 10 states as lack of health insurance is frequently an indicator of poverty.

Despite the hard economic times facing the nation, many Americans who haven't seen the dentist in a while are now returning, not because they're in any better position to afford it but because their teeth hurt too much. According to The St. Petersburg Times, this has resulted in these patients paying more for dental care because dentists have to perform more complex procedures after years of neglect.