Which states have the most and the least ratio of dentists to population?

[simpledoc]

does anyone have an idea about this..as which states have the maximum and the minimum number of dentist : population ratio? i assume the maximum would be NY, CA and the least would be TX, ND, SD and the entire midwest? am i correct ?

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[Jaws]

I know that New Mexico has the lowest concentrations of dentist/per capita in the nation. I believe that there are roughly 700 dentists servicing a state of about 1.8 million.

 

[ISU_Steve]

I also know that Wyoming has a problem recruiting medical professionals across the board.

As for the midwest, I don't think we have much of a problem, not at least around here- in our general area (population of maybe 100,000) there are probably 60 dentists (including specialists) and you don't have a problem getting an appointment. Granted Terre Haute IN is listed as an "underserved" community for some reason by the NHSC, but I think that's just because a lot of the white trash around here never sees a dentist even though they have plenty of opportunities. Even the smaller towns (Sullivan, Brazil, Paris (IL), Marshall (IL), Greencastle, etc) around here all have dentists so I don't think we're underserved by any stretch of the imagination here. Maybe in the eyes of the public health authorities we are, but the issue I've seen around here is not a lack of dentists, but rather a lack of dental insurance or money to pay for the services of the dentists that are here. It doesn't help that a lot of the people around here who would rather spend any extra money they have on beer or a trip to the titty bar than on their kids teeth. It's a vicious cycle- the parents are uneducated and unkempt, and the kids turn out that way. Throwing more DDS's into the mix isn't going to fix things around here.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Check out Oral Health America for some actual stats on how each state fares: http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/OralHealthParity.html

 

[ISU_Steve]

States scoring lower than "C" for Dentist Availability (from the report available at: http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/pdf/2003ReportCard.pdf)

Alabama (D)
Arkansas (F)
Mississippi (D)
Nevada (F)
North Carolina (D)

Pediatric Dentist Availability
Arizona (F)
Arkansas (D)
Delaware (D)
Idaho (F)
Kansas (F)
Maine (F)
Michigan (D)
Minnesota (D)
Mississippi (F)
Missouri (F)
Nevada (F)
New Mexico (D)
North Carolina (D)
North Dakota (D)
Oklahoma (D)
South Dakota (F)
Utah (D)
West Virginia (D)

 

[LSR1979]

States scoring lower than "C" for Dentist Availability (from the report available at: http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/pdf/2003ReportCard.pdf)

Alabama (D)
Arkansas (F)
Mississippi (D)
Nevada (F)
North Carolina (D)

Pediatric Dentist Availability
Arizona (F)
Arkansas (D)
Delaware (D)
Idaho (F)
Kansas (F)
Maine (F)
Michigan (D)
Minnesota (D)
Mississippi (F)
Missouri (F)
Nevada (F)
New Mexico (D)
North Carolina (D)
North Dakota (D)
Oklahoma (D)
South Dakota (F)
Utah (D)
West Virginia (D)

Dude you are averaging 10.39 POSTS PER DAY. GET A LIFE.

 

[BlueToothHunter]

Sorry, can't contribute to the topic but the title of the thread should've read:

"...highest and lowest ratios...", not "most and least ratio"...

Just wanted to be picky, that's all.

 

[ISU_Steve]

I don't see you complaining about the post ***** with 40 some posts per day. At least I'm being constructive. I'm sorry I don't go out and party like a lot of you- I normally run with one of the local volunteer fire departments which means I have a lot of time just sitting around waiting on calls to come in. Anyhow what concern is it of yours what I do with my spare time?

But just so you know, so you can sleep well at night, classes start for me in a week (June 6) so you should see my post rate drop off then. OK?

 

[Flipper405]

I don't see you complaining about the post ***** with 40 some posts per day. At least I'm being constructive. I'm sorry I don't go out and party like a lot of you- I normally run with one of the local volunteer fire departments which means I have a lot of time just sitting around waiting on calls to come in. Anyhow what concern is it of yours what I do with my spare time?

But just so you know, so you can sleep well at night, classes start for me in a week (June 6) so you should see my post rate drop off then. OK?

I appreciate your posts, Steve.

 

[Ruprick]

I don't see you complaining about the post ***** with 40 some posts per day. At least I'm being constructive. I'm sorry I don't go out and party like a lot of you- I normally run with one of the local volunteer fire departments which means I have a lot of time just sitting around waiting on calls to come in. Anyhow what concern is it of yours what I do with my spare time?

But just so you know, so you can sleep well at night, classes start for me in a week (June 6) so you should see my post rate drop off then. OK?

I knew a ******ed guy that used to run around with our local fire department. They really took him under their wings and made him feel special. We called him Chief Martin. Is your last name Martin?

 

[aphistis]

I knew a ******ed guy that used to run around with our local fire department. They really took him under their wings and made him feel special. We called him Chief Martin. Is your last name Martin?

Does "Martin" begin with the letter R down in Arizona? ""

 

[ItsGavinC]

Dude you are averaging 10.39 POSTS PER DAY. GET A LIFE.

Thanks for contributing nothing to this thread.

 

[LSR1979]

Thanks for contributing nothing to this thread.

My pleasure. It just gets under my skin when some 19 year old kid with a year or two of undergrad under his belt is all over the dental forum voicing all of this priceless knowledge. Maybe its just a difference of opinion, but before the day I actually started dental school, I stayed off of the dental forum. Sure I read all of the threads, but never felt it was right to offer any opinions. Maybe I'm just more humble. I compare it to going to an OMFS externship and instead of sitting there with your mouth shut and learning, you continue to offer up your opinion and advice to the resident. Not the way to make a good impression - but a good way to piss people off.

 

[predentchick]

So there is a list for pedo needs... where can we find info about others?

 

[ISU_Steve]

By the way, I'm 24.

LSR, maybe you didn't feel comfortable sharing what you knew as a predent (which I am sure was a lot- you seem pretty bright), but your opinion of my actions is just that- your opinion. I am not taking it at any more than face value so you might as well just keep it to yourself. I don't care what you think of me- you don't know me, you've never met me. Wait until you have to make judgements on me. I haven't made a judgement on you yet. Have a nice day.

 

[ItsGavinC]

So there is a list for pedo needs... where can we find info about others?

I believe their catergories are either dentists as a whole, or pediatric dentists.

 

[gumgardener2009]

States scoring lower than "C" for Dentist Availability (from the report available at: http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/pdf/2003ReportCard.pdf)

Alabama (D)
Arkansas (F)
Mississippi (D)
Nevada (F)
North Carolina (D)

Pediatric Dentist Availability
Arizona (F)
Arkansas (D)
Delaware (D)
Idaho (F)
Kansas (F)
Maine (F)
Michigan (D)
Minnesota (D)
Mississippi (F)
Missouri (F)
Nevada (F)
New Mexico (D)
North Carolina (D)
North Dakota (D)
Oklahoma (D)
South Dakota (F)
Utah (D)
West Virginia (D)

I've put the states that administer their own board exams in bold. My question is how much of this shortage is caused by these states being too provincial by not using a regional board exam?

 

[aphistis]

I've put the states that administer their own board exams in bold. My question is how much of this shortage is caused by these states being too provincial by not using a regional board exam?

You know, I wouldn't have thought of it, but that's a really solid observation.

 

[mg777]

Gum--, you may find it curious Florida is not on this list while it does not offer a regional board exam.

I've put the states that administer their own board exams in bold. My question is how much of this shortage is caused by these states being too provincial by not using a regional board exam?

 

[unlvdmd]

Nevada is switching to the western regional, so we'll have to look at the stats after that. Although, anyone can practice here with a license if they have no claims against them in the last 5 years. Correct me if I'm wrong (to those who know more). But now that the western regional is the standard, I think that goes away. Plus, the shortage in NV is NOT las vegas or reno. In fact, they are pretty beefy. It is all those horribly small ghost towns in between the two that makes it look like a state shortage.

 

[gumgardener2009]

Gum--, you may find it curious Florida is not on this list while it does not offer a regional board exam.

Gum--I bet if it were a list of shortages in geriatric dentistry it would be on the list. I'm not saying it's a one-to-one correlation. A lot of the other places on the list aren't exactly places I'm excited about setting up practice. It's obviously a multifactorial problem, but the state dental boards are not necessarily helping.

 

[kerrydds06]

http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/profiles/

 

[ISU_Steve]

A lot of the other places on the list aren't exactly places I'm excited about setting up practice.

No kidding, I agree. Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi,
Delaware, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia are such stellar first rate places to raise a family and start a business I can't see why they have a hard time attracting and retaining dental professionals. Of course, I still can't figure out how Indiana manages to attract and maintain so many dentists but oh well, I don't want to give myself a brain bleed trying to figure that one out.

 

[mallorydmd]

yeah, go to http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/pubs/dbguide/newdent/location.asp#distribution

 

[jk5177]

Dude you are averaging 10.39 POSTS PER DAY. GET A LIFE.

You, who have nothing better to do in your life than to tell other people to get a life. Interesting. People in glass houses don't throw stones.

 

[lethbridgedentalclinic]

I live in Lethbridge, Alberta, and while the national average is 60 dentists per 100k population (or about 1750 population per dentist) in my area the real number is 90 dentists per 100k population. Thats ony 1100 population per dentist already!

Now I understand that my area is saturated partially because we have so many LDS dental student graduates who wish to live and practice in this area to be close to their Mormon relatives (this is a fact that many outsite of this area don't know about) but I think that Toronto (ontario canada) will have a similar problem as Immigrant dentist will want to settle in that area to be close to the areas where the majority of culturally similar immigrants also live. This is a bit of a crisis for the profession when practitioners cluster in certain areas.

My established colleague and mentor is Dr. Chuck Galambos and I asked him if our area was more saturated than other areas, and if it was having a noticable effect on his business over the recent decade. He said it was having a remarkable impact. There are just too many dentists in some specific regions for the profession to earn as much money as it has in the past.

 

[jeffk805dent]

I live in Lethbridge, Alberta, and while the national average is 60 dentists per 100k population (or about 1750 population per dentist) in my area the real number is 90 dentists per 100k population. Thats ony 1100 population per dentist already!

Now I understand that my area is saturated partially because we have so many LDS dental student graduates who wish to live and practice in this area to be close to their Mormon relatives (this is a fact that many outsite of this area don't know about) but I think that Toronto (ontario canada) will have a similar problem as Immigrant dentist will want to settle in that area to be close to the areas where the majority of culturally similar immigrants also live. This is a bit of a crisis for the profession when practitioners cluster in certain areas.

My established colleague and mentor is Dr. Chuck Galambos and I asked him if our area was more saturated than other areas, and if it was having a noticable effect on his business over the recent decade. He said it was having a remarkable impact. There are just too many dentists in some specific regions for the profession to earn as much money as it has in the past.