Tennessee Among Nation's Worst for Dental Health
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(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) -- Tennessee is home to some of the nation's worst dental health, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.
A report by the Commonwealth Fund, a health care advocacy group, revealed that 20 percent of adults between the ages of 18-64 in Tennessee have lost six or more teeth because of decay, infection or gum disease, which is twice the national average, the paper says.
A survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that only 66 percent of residents visited a dentist or dental clinic in 2010, and a Pew Center study revealed that over 53,000 people visited a hospital emergency room for dental care in 2009, with 24,000 of them for preventable conditions.
The survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Tennessee 47th in the nation for dental health.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
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