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Tennessee Value:
Number of general dentists and advanced practice dental therapists per 100,000 population
Tennessee Rank:
Number of general dentists and advanced practice dental therapists per 100,000 population
109.8 - 74.9
74.8 - 67.5
67.4 - 60.5
60.4 - 55.7
55.6 - 43.5
US Value: 66.3
Top State(s): Alaska: 97.7
Bottom State(s): Delaware: 43.5
Definition: Number of general dentists and advanced practice dental therapists per 100,000 population
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, September 2025
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Despite projections of steady growth in the number of working dentists, the Health Resources and Services Administration has identified many areas and populations in the United States that have an inadequate supply of dentists to meet current or future needs.
Poor oral health can cause pain or tooth loss, negatively impacting quality of life and potentially contributing to other health conditions like eating disorders, diabetes and immune disorders.
Some of the most significant oral health disparities are in rural communities, which report lower access to and use of dental services and have higher rates of dental problems. Contributing factors to these health disparities include:
Strategies to increase the size of the dental workforce, particularly in rural communities, include:
Establishing mobile dental units to provide outreach services and implementing teledentistry services where feasible can also help increase access to a limited dental workforce among rural and other underserved communities.
Healthy People 2030 has multiple objectives related to oral health access, including:
Bersell, Catherine H. “Access to Oral Health Care: A National Crisis and Call for Reform.” Journal of Dental Hygiene 91, no. 1 (February 2017): 6–14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29118145/.
Franco, Sheila J., and Renee M. Gindi. Health, United States, 2018. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus18.pdf.
Hannan, Casey J., Timothy L. Ricks, Lorena Espinoza, and Jane A. Weintraub. “Addressing Oral Health Inequities, Access to Care, Knowledge, and Behaviors.” Preventing Chronic Disease 18 (2021). https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.210060.
Henderson-Frost, Jo, and Mark Deutchman. “Eight Ways to Mitigate US Rural Health Inequity.” AMA Journal of Ethics 24, no. 1 (January 1, 2022): E73-79. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2022.73.
Langelier, Margaret. “The Impact of Changing Workforce Models on Access to Oral Health Care Services.” Presentation, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, October 23, 2018. https://www.oralhealthworkforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/OHWRC_Harvard_10_2018.pdf.
Munson, Bradley, and Marko Vujicic. Projected Supply of Dentists in the United States, 2020–2040. Health Policy Institute Research Brief. American Dental Association, May 2021. https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/hpibrief_0521_1.pdf.
National Institutes of Health. Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges. Report. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2021. https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/Oral-Health-in-America-Advances-and-Challenges.pdf.
Potter, Wendell B. “Expanding the Dental Workforce to Improve Access and Reduce Disparities in Oral Health.” American Journal of Public Health 107, no. S1 (May 2017): S26–27. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303832.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2000.https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2017-10/hck1ocv.%40www.surgeon.fullrpt.pdf.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
