Red states lead nation in tooth loss! (Suprise....Surprise)

[iconoclastNYC]

By my count only two of the top 26 states are blue:

DEFINITION: Adults aged 65+ who have had all their natural teeth extracted. NOTE: Data for Hawaii is not available.

This from the CDC:
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_ora_hea_los_of_nat_tee-health-oral-loss-natural-teeth


#1 West Virginia 42.8%
#2 Kentucky 38.1%
#3 Tennessee 32.2%
#4 Alabama 31.9%
#5 Louisiana 31.3%
#6 Oklahoma 31.1%
#7 Mississippi 29.5%
#8 North Carolina 28.3%
#9 Georgia 28.2%
#10 Kansas 27.8%
#11 Indiana 27.3%
#12 South Dakota 26.1%
#13 Missouri 25.2%
#14 North Dakota 24.9%
#15 Arkansas 24.6%
#16 Puerto Rico 24.5%
#17 Maine 24.2%
#18 Pennsylvania 23.7%
#19 Iowa 23.2%
#20 Nebraska 23.1%
#21 Alaska 23%
#22 Idaho 22.4%
#23 New Mexico 21.8%
#24 South Carolina 21.8%
#25 Wyoming 21.8%
#26 Vermont 21.2%

[CottonBear]

1. Those are really awful #'s. It's a shame we don't have dental care for all

Dental decay is directly linked to heart disease (bacteria). :(

[malaise]

23. Would you post the data on Cuba

They have the best dental care in the hemisphere.

[CottonBear]

25. I don't know much about Cuba's dental care but I'm sure it is excellent

because they have a great medical system. Their doctors and nurses are top notch.

[musical_soul]

2. No voting Republican!!!!

It might rot your teeth out!

[deaniac21]

3. Looks as if poverty might play a role...

[iconoclastNYC]

9. I guess so

One one hand toothpaste and toothbrushes aren't that expensive.

On the other hand getting cavaties filled before they need to be pulled is expensive.

[phylny]

18. I wonder if having fluoridated water (city/suburban) versus

well water (rural) is the reason?

[PCIntern]

4. No argument...

but as a dentist, take it from me that these figures are not telling all in any way whatsoever. An index involving all teeth extracted has many problems. First of all, there is, by definition, no ongoing periodontal disease in an edentulous patient. You are technically better off cardiovascularly if you have no teeth than if you have a few scraggly ones. Also, there is a terrific increase in health among certain groups.

But I could go on and on...stop me before I pontificate again!

[SoCalDem]

5. Shitty jobs = shitty health care

Dental work is very pricey, and cheap dental care means extractions.. Before long there are few "anchor" teeth of bridges etc, even if one could afford them..

Dentures are better these days, but preventative dentristry as a young person could probably eliminate the need for dentures in a lot of people..

I would bet that a lot of those same people cannot see or hear very well either...and mental health?,,probably not many get much counseling that doesn't come with a barstool and and cool one..


Medical care beyond the ER does not exist for many poor people.

[Raine]

6. At least for a while Walmart

was giving them jobs in their commercials.:o

[thereismore]

7. Utah No. 51? Why? Any guesses? nt

[PCIntern]

11. Ultra-High endemic fluoride in water supply

Texas and Colorado have that too...gives mottled teeth, but they're rock hard. Naturally occurring...best reason against those anti-fluorodationists - no higher rate of cancer in these states.

[thereismore]

15. I didn't know that... thanks. nt

[Hardrada]

8. I think Utah ranks well because LDS people

Don't drink sody pop. Some states might rank badly because of a propensity to chew tobaccy. (hard on the gums)

[SmokingJacket]

13. Plus the Osmond family throws off the curve.

I was never too fond of their singing but they sure had nice teeth.

[fishwax]

24. LDS folks drink soda

Many of them (though not all) abstain from sodas with caffeine in them, but that doesn't exclude 7-up, Sprite, or the ever popular orange/grape/etc. sodas.

[justice1]

10. All things considered, Nebraska's numbers aren't to bad.

We have terrible tasting water, many people still use well water which doesn't have fluoride. I believe Florida is the only state that has a larger percentage of it's population over the age of 90. Considering people live longer here, it would only make sense that they would have more teeth removed.

[WI_DEM]

12. you really shouldn't be mocking them--many poor people live in

those states--hispanics, African-Americans, Indians, poor whites--people without dental insurance and dentists like to be paid right away. People in poverty and probably many of them either don't vote or if they do they vote Democratic.

[iconoclastNYC]

16. There are plenty of poor people, black people, indians, et all

In the inner cities in the blue states. Difference here is that we have a social safety net in blue states.

[WI_DEM]

19. true, but I'll bet if you go into those inner cities you'll also find lots

of people with bad teeth or missing teeth. Gurantee it.

[CottonBear]

26. Poor people everywhere can not afford dental care. It is sad. n/t

[CatholicEdHead]

14. #49 for tooth loss

cool.

[mediaman007]

17. Here's to states with unions, and union contracts with benefits...

You might as well list "right to work" states. I bet the correlation is very high!

[trekbiker]

20. half the people in W. Virginia are missing all thier teeth????!!!!!

[iconoclastNYC]

27. Half the people over 65 yes

But the dentist who chimed in implies that its better in some cases to have all your teeth pulled then to have infected nasty teeth that put you at risk of cardiovascular disease.

[doc03]

28. You know the tooth brush was invented West Virginia

that's why it was called the tooth brush and not the teeth brush.

[trekbiker]

21. California is #50 at 13.7%...... ahahahahahaa!!!!!

damn.... there must be a direct correlation between intelligence and tooth loss...

be interesting to see a study on DU vs. Freeper tooth loss percentages

[allalone]

22. this is so sad

poverty does indeed play a major part. medicaid doesn't pay for dental work. Only to pull the tooth.
The poorest states, the poorest health.