Data Highlight: Oklahoma ranks 43 (of 51), for women accessing dental services. Connecticut currently provides the best access to dental services for women with 80 percent reporting a dental visit within the past year. Only 57.8 percent of Louisiana women report dental visits within the past year.23
Lookbook Vol. 2
Access to Dental Care
DEFINITION
As of 2018, the percentage of women ages 18-44 who reported visiting the dentist or dental clinic within the past year.23
OKLAHOMA 61.8 percent
NATIONAL AVERAGE 68.4 percent
Why We Care: While it is important for everyone to go to the dentist at least twice a year, access to dental services is especially essential for women. Dental issues can sometimes arise from benign hormone changes in the body during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause.24 While dental hygiene might seem like a lower priority when considering other health-related needs, gum disease is strongly correlated with heart disease and diabetes, and excessive tooth loss is connected to coronary artery disease.24 These issues are exacerbated during pregnancy when women are more likely to experience gum disease.24 Furthermore, from an economic perspective, poor dental hygiene and tooth loss affect hiring and job promotion. 25
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What We Can Do: - Encourage lawmakers to include provisions for dental care access in state sponsored health programs - Support comprehensive Medicaid Expansion initiatives - Encourage local employers to include preventative dental coverage in their insurance benefit plans - Provide more dynamic pathways from medical school entrance to foster more biographically representative physicians
