We’ve all heard the jokes about West Virginians’ dental health that plenty of us rushed to call unfair and untrue. They’ve been around for generations. The problem is, there is some truth to the idea that we’ve got a problem here.

WalletHub’s “States with the Best and Worst Dental Health (2025)” notes the Mountain State is not quite dead last, but close. We are 49th, ahead of only Mississippi and Arkansas.

We are 38th for dental habits and care, and dead last (51st) for oral health.

West Virginia is 50th for the percentage of adults who visited a dentist in the past year, 44th for sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, 51st for percentage of adult smokers, 51st for the percentage of the elderly population with no natural teeth, tied for 49th for the percentage of adults who experienced oral pain in the past year, and crucially, tied for 49th for the percentage of adults with low life satisfaction due to oral condition.

There is one bright spot: We are third for the percentage of adolescents who visited a dentist in the past year.

Perhaps that is a sign that at least some policymakers have been working toward making a difference for upcoming generations. “Living in a dental health-friendly state can make a world of difference for your mouth and your wallet,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “While there are plenty of things you can do on your own, such as brushing and flossing regularly, some states feature things like access to fluoridated water, dental health programs in schools and robust benefits through Medicaid. States that employ a lot of dental health professionals and have low average costs for care are also ideal to live in, giving you more choices at affordable rates.”

We’ve still got a lot of work to do. But if access to dental care and improved education efforts for families is making a difference, we must not rest on that.