Ninety-eight of the 100 counties in North Carolina have been designated by the federal government as a dental health professional shortage area, according to Carolina Public Press.
The state's number of practicing dentists has increased significantly in the past couple decades, but North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative Director Zachary Brian, DMD, told Carolina Public Press that there are still not nearly enough to keep up with the state's exponential population growth.
2019 data from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that three of the state's counties have no actively practicing dentists.
Dr. Brian told Carolina Public Press access to a dentist isn't the only factor preventing North Carolinians from receiving dental care, as cost, location and cultural misconceptions contribute to the problem as well.
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