64.5 percent of U.S. adults had at least one dental visit in the past year. Transportation issues, cost, and dentist shortages block access for large portions of the population. Visit rates differ sharply by income, race, and urban versus rural residence.
Key Takeaways
- 24.7% of population reports transportation as barrier to dental visits (2022)
- 65 million Americans live in dental health professional shortage areas (2023 HRSA)
- Lack of dentists: 30% of rural counties have no dentist (2022)
- Average out-of-pocket dental cost per visit: $91 for insured, $294 uninsured (2022)
- 35.5% of adults delayed dental care due to cost in 2022 ADA survey
- Dental insurance coverage: 65.4% of adults, but only 38% use benefits fully (2021)
- Non-Hispanic White adults: 69.5% dental visit rate; Black: 55.8%; Hispanic: 52.3% (2022)
- Adults aged 18-44: 65.2% visit rate; 45-64: 67.8%; 65+: 62.1% (2020 MEPS)
- Rural residents had 57.4% dental visit rate vs. 66.8% urban in 2021
- Check-ups and cleanings: 52% of visits; fillings: 18%; extractions: 12% (2020)
- Emergency visits for pain: 25% of total dental visits in 2022
- Orthodontic visits: 8% of total, mostly ages 10-17 (2021 MEPS)
- In 2022, 64.5% of U.S. adults aged 18+ had at least one dental visit in the past year
- Among U.S. children aged 2-17, 86.5% had a dental visit in the past year according to 2021 NHIS data
- Dental visit rate for adults aged 65+ was 62.1% in 2020, per Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Transportation, cost, and fear keep millions from dental care as shortages persist nationwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Barriers and Access26 stats
01
24.7% of population reports transportation as barrier to dental visits (2022)
02
65 million Americans live in dental health professional shortage areas (2023 HRSA)
03
Lack of dentists: 30% of rural counties have no dentist (2022)
04
Fear/anxiety prevents 20% of adults from regular visits (ADA 2021)
05
Language barriers affect 15% of Hispanic patients' access (2021)
06
18% of adults report no nearby dental office (2022 BRFSS)
07
Time off work barrier for 22% of employed adults (2023)
08
Only 52% of public schools provide dental sealant programs (2021 CDC)
09
Tele-dentistry used in only 5% of visits despite shortages (2022)
10
12% cite child care as barrier to adult dental visits (2020 MEPS)
11
During COVID-19, 43% delayed visits due to infection fears (2021)
12
19-64 uninsured: 34.5% no visit due to cost (2022)
13
Dentist shortage: 6,000 needed by 2025 (HRSA 2023)
14
36% of adults avoid due to fear (2021 ADA)
15
School-based programs reach 20% of underserved kids (2022 CDC)
16
Weekend hours availability low: only 25% offices (2023)
17
28% low-income lack transportation (2021 MEPS)
18
Mental health comorbidity reduces visits by 15% (2022)
19
Teledentistry adoption: 12% post-2022 (ADA)
20
62% of safety net clinics report capacity issues (2023 HRSA)
21
Anxiety meds needed for 12% patients (2021 ADA)
22
Mobile dentistry reaches 8% rural (2022)
23
After-hours care: only 18% offices (2023)
24
Cultural barriers for immigrants: 22% (2021 KFF)
25
Wait times average 4 weeks for new patients (2022)
26
Homebound seniors: 70% no visits (2020)
Interpretation
Barriers and Access Interpretation
America's smile is suffering from a chronic and systemic cavity, plagued by a daunting shortage of dentists, crippling financial and logistical barriers, and a paralyzing cocktail of fear and red tape that leaves millions simply unable to access care.
02 · Category
Cost and Insurance29 stats
01
Average out-of-pocket dental cost per visit: $91for insured, $294 uninsured (2022)
02
35.5% of adults delayed dental care due to cost in 2022 ADA survey
03
Dental insurance coverage: 65.4% of adults, but only 38% use benefits fully (2021)
04
Annual dental expenditure per capita: $412in U.S. (2020 MEPS)
05
Uninsured adults face 2.5x higher costs per visit ($250avg)
06
Medicaid dental coverage led to 22% increase in visits among enrollees (2014-2020)
07
Employer-sponsored dental plans cover 92% of costs for preventive visits
08
Cost of routine cleaning: $100-$200 with insurance, $200-$300 without (2023)
09
28% of adults skipped visits due to insurance gaps (2022 KFF)
10
Dental benefits utilization rate: 1.2 visits per insured member annually (2021)
11
Root canal average cost: $1,100insured vs. $1,600 uninsured (2022)
12
Preventive visits reimbursed at 80-100% by most plans, restorative at 50% (2023)
13
41% of low-income cite cost as barrier despite Medicaid (2021)
14
Average cost per preventive visit: $128(2022 MEPS)
15
50% of dental costs paid out-of-pocket by uninsured (2021 KFF)
16
Medicare dental coverage gap affects 90% of beneficiaries (2023)
17
Filling cost: $150-$300 insured (2023)
18
Dental plan premiums average $30/month individual (2022)
19
Cost barrier highest for ages 19-34 at 42% (2022 ADA)
20
Extraction cost: $180insured vs. $300 uninsured (2022)
21
7.9% uninsured rate among adults leads to lower visits (2021)
22
Medicare Advantage dental: covers 70% of enrollees, boosts visits 25% (2022 KFF)
23
PPO plans most common: 80% market share (2023)
24
Annual max benefits average $1,500(2022 ADA)
25
Uninsured extraction: $250avg (2023)
26
32% cite high deductibles as barrier (2022)
27
Cleaning copay: $25avg (2021 MEPS)
28
Dental HMO vs PPO: utilization 15% higher in HMO (2020)
29
Implants: $3,500-$5,000 insured portion (2022)
Interpretation
Cost and Insurance Interpretation
The American dental system operates like a exclusive club where insurance acts as a heavily negotiated permission slip for care, yet even members often find the fine print too costly to fully enjoy, leaving a nation's smile contingent on a complex calculus of benefits, gaps, and plain old cash.
03 · Category
Demographic Variations27 stats
01
Non-Hispanic White adults: 69.5% dental visit rate; Black: 55.8%; Hispanic: 52.3% (2022)
02
Adults aged 18-44: 65.2% visit rate; 45-64: 67.8%; 65+: 62.1% (2020 MEPS)
03
Rural residents had 57.4% dental visit rate vs. 66.8% urban in 2021
04
College graduates: 75.3% dental visits; high school or less: 48.2% (2022 BRFSS)
05
Hispanic children aged 2-17: 78.9% visit rate vs. 91.2% non-Hispanic White (2021)
06
Low-income (≤138% FPL) adults: 49.6% visit rate; high-income: 78.4% (2020)
07
Adults with disabilities: 52.1% dental visit rate vs. 65.7% without (2022 NHIS)
08
Pregnant women: 56.3% had dental visit during pregnancy (2021 PRAMS)
09
Veterans: 61.8% dental visit rate vs. 64.9% non-veterans (2021)
10
LGBTQ+ adults: 58.7% visit rate vs. 65.2% heterosexual (2022 survey)
11
Adults 18-24: 54.1% visit rate, lowest among age groups (2022)
12
Asian Americans: 67.9% dental visit rate (2021 NHIS)
13
Single parents: 47.2% visit rate vs. 68.5% married (2020 MEPS)
14
Hispanic adults under 65: 50.8% visit rate (2022)
15
Black children: 81.4% dental visit rate vs. 88.7% White (2021)
16
Ages 25-34: 60.3% visit rate (2022 BRFSS)
17
Unemployed: 45.6% visit rate vs. 68.2% employed (2021)
18
AIAN adults: 48.2% visit rate (2021 NHIS)
19
Smokers: 51.7% visit rate vs. 67.4% non-smokers (2022)
20
Urban poor: 52.1% vs. rural poor 42.3% visit rate (2020)
21
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 53.6% visit rate (2021)
22
Household income <$25k: 43.8% visits (2022)
23
Ages 65-74: 64.7% visit rate (2021 MEPS)
24
Widowed adults: 58.9% vs. married 69.2% (2020)
25
Obesity linked to 10% lower visit rate (2022 BRFSS)
26
Military families: 76.5% pediatric visit rate (2021)
27
Frontline workers: 62.3% visit rate during pandemic (2021)
Interpretation
Demographic Variations Interpretation
The statistics paint a clear and inequitable picture: your likelihood of having a dental visit in America depends less on the health of your teeth and more on the color of your skin, the size of your wallet, your zip code, and your level of education.
More related reading
04 · Category
Reasons for Visits27 stats
01
Check-ups and cleanings: 52% of visits; fillings: 18%; extractions: 12% (2020)
02
Emergency visits for pain: 25% of total dental visits in 2022
03
Orthodontic visits: 8% of total, mostly ages 10-17 (2021 MEPS)
04
Periodontal treatment: 7.2% of visits among adults 45+ (2020)
05
Fluoride treatments: 15% of pediatric visits (2022)
06
Crown placements: 9.5% of restorative visits (2019-2021)
07
Sealants applied in 22% of child preventive visits (2021 NHIS)
08
Abscess treatment: 11% of adult emergency visits (2022)
09
Cosmetic whitening: 4.1% of elective visits (2023 survey)
10
Endodontic procedures: 6.8% total visits (2020 MEPS)
11
Prosthodontic visits (dentures): 5.3% among 65+ (2021)
12
Denture needs drive 15% of senior visits (2021)
13
Fillings: 22% of all procedures in general practices (2022 ADA)
14
Exams/screenings: 45% of visit purposes (2020 NHAM)
15
Extractions: 14% in low-income clinics (2021)
16
Implants consultations: 3.8% rising trend (2023)
17
Bitewing x-rays in 60% of routine visits (2022)
18
Pediatric emergencies: 18% trauma-related (2021)
19
Whitening procedures: 2.5% of visits (2023)
20
Periodontal scaling: 8.4% in adults 35+ (2020)
21
Crowns: 7.2% of visits (2022)
22
Oral surgery referrals: 4.6% (2021)
23
Hygiene recalls: 55% of hygienist time (2023)
24
Bridges/prosthetics: 3.1% (2020 MEPS)
25
Emergency pain relief: 28% weekends (2022)
26
X-rays/diagnostics: 35% routine (2021)
27
Veneers: 1.8% cosmetic (2023)
Interpretation
Reasons for Visits Interpretation
While we dutifully show up for cleanings over half the time, a quarter of us still arrive in dental distress, proving that our commitment to prevention remains, quite painfully, a work in progress.
05 · Category
Utilization Rates22 stats
01
In 2022, 64.5% of U.S. adults aged 18+ had at least one dental visit in the past year
02
Among U.S. children aged 2-17, 86.5% had a dental visit in the past year according to 2021 NHIS data
03
Dental visit rate for adults aged 65+ was 62.1% in 2020, per Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
04
35% of U.S. adults reported no dental visit in the past year in 2023 ADA survey
05
Preventive dental visits accounted for 78% of all visits among privately insured in 2019
06
Emergency dental visits rose 12% from 2019 to 2022 due to pandemic backlogs
07
71.2% of employed adults had a dental cleaning in past year per 2021 MEPS
08
Dental visit frequency averaged 1.8 visits per person annually in 2020 for insured population
09
55.3% of low-income adults had no dental visit in 2022
10
Routine check-ups comprised 65% of pediatric dental visits in 2021
11
68.4% of women aged 18-44 had a dental visit in past year (2022 BRFSS)
12
Men had 58.2% dental visit rate vs. 70.1% for women in 2021 NHIS
13
Women are 1.5x more likely to have regular dental visits than men (2022 NHIS)
14
72% of adults with private insurance had a visit vs. 48% Medicaid (2021)
15
Pediatric visit rate increased 5% from 2019 to 2022 post-pandemic
16
40% of seniors in nursing homes had no dental visit in past year (2020)
17
Average visits per year for frequent users: 3.2 (2021 MEPS)
18
55.9% of U.S. adults visited dentist in past year (2019 pre-pandemic)
19
Children 5-11: 88.1% visit rate (2020)
20
Adults with diabetes: 59.2% visit rate (2021 NHIS)
21
Post-pandemic recovery: visits up 18% in 2022 (ADA)
22
Routine visits per capita: 1.1 for uninsured (2020)
Interpretation
Utilization Rates Interpretation
The statistics reveal a sobering oral health divide: while children set a commendable dental attendance example, a troubling number of adults, particularly seniors and low-income individuals, are skipping the dentist, with women consistently outperforming men in preventive care.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Dental Visit Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dental-visit-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Dental Visit Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/dental-visit-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Dental Visit Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dental-visit-statistics.
Sources & references
18 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level