Several Southern states struggle with a lack of access to dental care, according to a survey from orthodontics company Byte.
The survey, conducted in June, consists of 1,107 people ages 18 to 83. It uses the patient-to-dentist ratio using data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Read more about the methodology here.
Byte bases the dental access rankings on each state's patient-to-dentist ratio. The lower the ratio, the higher that state is ranked. The average patient-to-dentist ratio in the U.S. is 1,538 to 1.
Here are the five best states for dental access and their patient-to-dentist ratio, according to Byte:
1. Massachusetts — 1,048 to 1
2. Alaska — 1,090 to 1
3. Hawaii — 1,189 to 1
4. New Jersey — 1,213 to 1
5. Connecticut — 1,246 to 1
Here are the five worst states for dental access and their patient-to-dentist ratio, according to Byte:
1. Arkansas — 2,280 to 1
2. Mississippi — 2,251 to 1
3. Alabama — 2,196 to 1
4. Delaware — 2,169 to 1
5. Georgia — 2,045 to 1