Dental Clinic Deserts in the US: Spatial Accessibility Analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Spatial Epidemiology

Background:

• Spatial accessibility to dental clinics in the United States is not well understood.
• Geographic maldistribution of dental providers contributes to disparities in oral healthcare access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map national spatial accessibility of dental clinics.
• To identify characteristics of counties and US Census block groups experiencing dental care shortages.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study utilizing IQVIA national practitioners' database (205,762 active dentists).
• Employed an enhanced 2-step floating catchment area method with a 30-minute drive time.
• Analyzed socioeconomic factors: rurality, area deprivation, racial/ethnic segregation, and uninsured rates.

Main Results:

• 1.7 million individuals lacked dental clinic access within a 30-minute drive.
• 24.7 million people (7.5%) resided in dental care shortage areas (<1 dentist per 5000 population).
• Rural areas had significantly lower dentist-to-population ratios compared to urban areas. Higher rates of shortage and inequality observed in rural, segregated, and deprived areas.

Conclusions:

• Significant geographic shortage and maldistribution of the US dental workforce exist.
• Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve dental care access in underserved regions.
• Data can inform federal and state dental workforce planning to mitigate access disparities.