West Virginia occupies bottom spot for standards of adolescent oral health
New research suggests that adolescents in West Virginia have the poorest standards of oral health in the USA.
Data from WalletHub put the 35th state at the bottom of the list based on a number of factors, including treatment costs, access to dental care and the proportion of young people who visited a dentist in the 12-month period leading up to the study. Researchers analysed figures from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
West Virginia also ranked lowest in categories including the number of elderly people without any natural teeth and the proportion of adult smokers. It was also ranked in bottom three for the proportion of adults that visited a dentist in the last three years, the percentage of adults who felt their oral health affected them in a negative way, and the proportion of adults that suffered from oral pain.
West Virginia was also listed 47th in the list for the number of dentists per head.
The data was collated following the release of figures from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Sugar consumption is one of the major causes of adolescent dental problems. According to the study, more than 60 percent of adolescents in the US consume at least sugary drink per day. West Virginia, is ranked 35th on the list for average sugar consumption.
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