Based on March 31, 2025, data available from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), over 59.7 million Americans lived in settings or communities designated as dental health professional shortage areas (HPSA).  The dental health HPSA designation means that the residents of a population group, geographic unit, or facility have substandard access to dental care because not enough dentists serve the area given the size of the HPSA's population. In order to rectify the dental care shortfall in these communities and settings, the HRSA estimates that HPSAs throughout the country would need over 10,100 more dentists.

Here is a summary look at the U.S. dental care shortfall by region (for state-level details, follow the "region" link):

The U.S. Dental Care Shortfall by Region

Region	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortfall
Far Western U.S.	1,294	7,083,237	1,025
Great Lakes	916	7,278,467	1,323
Great Plains	1,053	4,017,861	675
MidEast	411	6,927,660	1,256
New England	222	1,074,377	158
Rocky Mountain	402	1,812,491	207
Southeast	1,868	22,743,034	4,018
Southwestern U.S.	764	6,046,418	1,099
U.S. Territories	124	2,734,629	382
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)