West Virginia still leads the nation in terms of toothlessness among elders. In terms of oral health indicators, barriers to care and lackluster public health efforts targeting dental care for older residents, many other states also scored poor grades. Tennessee and Alabama retained their places at the very bottom of this year’s list.
The State of Decay report card serves as a reminder that millions of Americans aged 65 years and older continue to suffer from preventable pain, untreated disease and tooth loss.
To help address the problem, the group calls for an expansion of publicly funded dental benefits to elders, stepped-up water fluoridation efforts and increased attention to senior oral health by states.
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