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State of Oral Health Equity in America

To treat the whole person, our health system must better recognize the link between oral health and systemic health.” 

The State of Oral Health Equity in America is the largest nationally representative survey focused exclusively on adults’ knowledge, attitudes, experiences, and behaviors related to oral health.

The survey of more than 5,000 adults across the United States also collects information on how insurance coverage, oral health literacy, and access to a trusted provider can improve oral health opportunities and affect outcomes.

Key findings from the survey allow researchers to uncover trends in oral health equity gaps and provide oral health stakeholders with the information needed to work on closing those gaps.

Key Findings from 2023

Latest Reports

Image of report cover Experiences with and Outcomes of Oral Health Care

Experiences with and Outcomes of Oral Health Care

Perspectives from Nationally Representative Data
Image of report cover The Hour of Need: Productivity Time Lost Due to Urgent Oral Health Needs

The Hour of Need

Productivity Time Lost Due to Urgent Oral Health Needs
Image of report cover Still Searching: Meeting Oral Health Needs in Rural Settings

Still Searching

Meeting Oral Health Needs in Rural Settings
Cover of report Hunger Pains

Hunger Pains

How Food Insecurity Affects Oral Health
Cover of report Uninsured and in Need

Uninsured and in Need

68.5 Million Lack Dental Insurance, More May Be Coming
Cover of report Cost, Race, and the Persistent Challenges in Our Oral Health System

Cost, Race, and the Persistent Challenges in Our Oral Health System

Discrimination and Economic Issues Are Leading Factors of Oral Health Disparities

Blog

Why We Created the Oral Health Equity in America Survey — and What We Found 

Webinar

In Need of Treatment: Cost, Inequities, and Our Oral Health System in 2023

Previous State of Oral Health Equity in America Reports

Cover of report titled Americans Are Still Not Getting the Dental Care They Need

Americans Are Still Not Getting the Dental Care They Need

2022
Cover of report titled The Glaring Scope of Racial Disparities in Oral Health

The Glaring Scope of Racial Disparities in Oral Health

2022
Cover of report titled How Depression Is Linked to Oral Health

How Depression Is Linked to Oral Health

2022
Cover of report titled Oral Health and the LGBTQ+ Community

Oral Health and the LGBTQ+ Community

2022
Cover of report Connection Between Oral Health and Mental Health

The Connection Between Oral Health and Mental Health

2021

Methodology

The study was designed by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. Results were collected by NORC at the University of Chicago in January–February of 2021, 2022, and 2023 from adults 18 and older on the AmeriSpeak panel. AmeriSpeak is a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the United States’ (US) household population. Randomly selected US households were sampled using area probability and address-based sampling, with a known, non-zero probability of selection from NORC National Sample Frame. Sampled households were contacted by US mail, telephone, and field interviewers. In 2023, a sampling unit of 18,521 was used, with a final sample size of 5,240 and a final weighted cumulative response rate of 4.4%. All data presented account for appropriate sample weights. The margin of error for the survey is 1.83%.