March 31, 2025 data from the HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) estimated that nearly 59.7 million Americans lived in a dental health HPSA (health professional shortage area).  A dental health HPSA is a geographic area, population group, or facility where residents have bad dental care access because not enough dentists serve the area relative to the population of that HPSA.  The six-state New England region was home to almost 1.1 million individuals who resided in dental care shortfall areas.  The HRSA estimates that New England HPSAs would need 158 more dentists in order to eliminate the dental care shortfall in the region.  Further examination of the HRSA's 3/31/25 data provides the following state-level details about the dental care shortfall New England:

The Dental Care Shortfall in New England

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortfall
CT	40	480,128	71
ME	82	234,694	39
MA	55	185,325	18
NH	19	27,417	7
RI	13	140,340	23
VT	13	6,473	0
Region	222	1,074,377	158
U.S.	7,054	59,718,174	10,143

(1) HRSA-designated Geographic Units, Population Groups, and Facilities with a dental care shortfall

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

(3) Dental Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 3/31/25 (HRSA)