Data from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) indicated that, as of December 31, 2022, more than 69.7 million Americans lived in a dental health professional shortage area (HPSA).  A dental health HPSA is a population group, geographic area, or facility where residents have subpar access to dental care because too few dentists work in the area relative to the size of the population.  The HRSA estimates that HPSAs throughout the country would need over 11,900 more dentists to eliminate the national shortage of dentists.

Here is a summary look at America's dental care shortage by region (for state-level details, follow the "region" link):

America's Dental Care Shortage by Region

Region	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
Far West	1,302	8,752,870	1,344
Great Lakes	968	9,301,614	1,688
Great Plains	1,121	4,628,148	763
MidEast	422	8,048,834	1,480
New England	248	1,394,751	224
Rocky Mountain	439	2,763,600	328
Southeast	1,905	25,907,017	4,609
Southwest	857	8,403,062	1,363
U.S. Territories	51	566,709	110
U.S.	7,313	69,766,605	11,909

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group, and Facility HPSAs with a dental care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

(3) Dental Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 12/31/22 (HRSA)