Mountain State residents grew up knowing there were certain jokes that would be made at their expense once a person from another state found out they were West Virginians. Some variation on the “but you’re wearing shoes!” or “but you look like you have all your teeth!” was not uncommon. And we laughed it off.

But the reality is West Virginia HAS struggled for generations — and still does struggle — with making dental health a priority. That’s backed up by a recent WalletHub study, “2026’s States with the Best and Worst Dental Health,” in which West Virginia ranks nearly at the bottom. We are 50th, with our old friend Mississippi taking the 51st spot. (The District of Columbia is often included in these studies).

We are 42nd for dental habits and care, and 51st for oral health. We are tied for 49th for the percentage of adults with low life satisfaction due to oral condition, tied for 49th for the percentage of adults who experienced oral pain in the past year, 51st for the percentage of elderly population with no natural teeth, 51st for the percentage of adult smokers, 44th for sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, 48th for dentists per capita and 50th for percentage of adults who visited a dentist in the past year.

On the other hand, we are third for the percentage of adolescents who visited a dentist in the past year. That may be an indication that some of the cultural factors behind the problem are changing.

Lawmakers know that as they work to improve quality of life here, dental and oral health must be on their minds. There are several bills in the works, such as state Senate Bill 568 and House Bill 5071, which would create the Oral Health and Cancer Rights Act; SB 548, requiring transparency of dental health care insurance products, or HB 5108 to fund the Tobacco Use Cessation Initiative.

Perhaps the data on dental visits by younger West Virginians gives us reason to believe other law and policy efforts in recent years have made a difference, too. But it is unusual for West Virginia to rank so poorly in so many categories in just one study. The numbers must spur elected officials and other stakeholders to strengthen their focus on finding solutions residents of all ages deserve.