Health Status & Disparities

Oral Health

Poor dental health is an issue across the region, especially in rural counties and counties with high rates of poverty.

Oral health is an area where there is a particular lack of data, especially at the county level. There are some data available at the state level.

Kansans visit a dentist slightly more frequently than the nation as a whole and the percentage who have visited a dentist in the past year has remained constant between 2012 and 2014.

Missourians visit a dentist a rate slightly less than the nation as a whole and this rate has declined from 2012 to 2014.



In both Kansas and Missouri those aged 65+ have lost all of their teeth at a greater rate than the U.S. as a whole. However, these rates have dropped significantly between 2012 and 2014 and these rates dropped more than they did at the national level.


Kansans age 65+ have lost six or more teeth at a slightly smaller rate than the nation as a whole. Missourians 65+, however, have lost six or more teeth at a significantly higher rate than the nation as a whole. These rates have declined by about 8 percent between 2012 and 2014 in both states.


Access to oral health care varies significantly across counties.

Oral health can also be affected by access to care. The ratio of dentists to population varies widely across counties, with rural counties typically having a higher number of people per dentist.

Persons per Dentist, 2013-2015
Geography 2013 2014 2015
State of Kansas 1,894 1,841 1,804
Allen 1,875 2,152 1,817
Johnson 1,277 1,279 1,245
Leavenworth 2,792 2,542 2,479
Miami 4,104 4,103 4,069
Wyandotte 2,673 2,412 2,402
State of Missouri 1,920 1,865 1,844
Cass 3,355 3,153 3,175
Clay 1,787 2,079 1,733
Jackson 1,288 1,256 1,239
Lafayette 3,294 3,269 3,270
Platte 1,697 1,693 1,747
Ray 5,760 5,737 5,703

Source: County Health Rankings — http://www.countyhealthrankings.org


Oral health varies across race and ethnicities.

There is a significant difference between the rates that Whites have visited a dentist in the past year and the rates for Blacks and Hispanics.


Black adults 65+ are significantly more likely than Whites to have lost all of their teeth. The one exception is in Missouri in 2012. This is not the case for Hispanics except in Kansas in 2014.




Black adults 65+ are significantly more likely than Whites to have lost six or more of their teeth. This is not the case for Hispanics. Rates have generally declined except for Blacks in Missouri. In addition, the rates for Blacks are generally higher for Blacks than the national levels.



Data is the most current available as of September 2017.

Produced by the Mid-America Regional Council for the REACH Healthcare Foundation | www.marc2.org/healthdata ©