By Aijaz Alam
What percentage of US adults visit the dentist each year?
66.4% of US adults aged 18 and over had a dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months in 2025, per the CDC's National Health Interview Survey. That is up from 63.0% in 2020. Use is far lower among adults below twice the poverty line (about 50%) and uninsured adults under 65 (39.4%).
- 66.4%US adults with a dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 monthsCDC NCHS, NHIS 2025 final data; early release said 66.7%
- 80.4%Adults with a college degree who had a dental exam or cleaningNHIS 2025; 44.4% without a high school diploma
- 39.4%Uninsured adults under 65 who had a dental exam or cleaningNHIS 2025; 72.6% with private insurance
- 40%Adults 19-64 with a dental visit, ADA measureADA HPI from MEPS, 2022
The numbers
The full breakdown
US adults with a dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months, by sex and age, 2025
| Group | Had a dental exam or cleaning | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| All adults 18 and over | 66.4% | 65.5-67.2 |
| Women | 69.6% | 68.5-70.7 |
| Men | 63.0% | 61.8-64.2 |
| 18-44 years | 64.1% | 62.8-65.4 |
| 45-64 years | 68.2% | 66.8-69.6 |
| 65-74 years | 70.3% | 68.7-71.8 |
| 75 years and over | 66.1% | 64.2-68.0 |
Dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months by income and insurance, 2025
| Group | Had a dental exam or cleaning |
|---|---|
| Family income below the poverty line | 49.9% |
| 100% to under 200% of the poverty line | 50.3% |
| 200% of the poverty line or more | 72.3% |
| Under 65, private insurance | 72.6% |
| Under 65, Medicaid or other state programs | 53.5% |
| Under 65, other government coverage | 67.2% |
| Under 65, uninsured | 39.4% |
| 65 and over, private insurance | 76.6% |
| 65 and over, Medicare Advantage | 70.3% |
| 65 and over, Medicare only (not Medicare Advantage) | 60.3% |
| 65 and over, Medicare and Medicaid | 48.3% |
FPL is the federal poverty level. Uninsured adults 65 and over (25.6%, 95% CI 13.3-41.7) are left out because the estimate is too uncertain to rank.
Dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months by education and race and Hispanic origin, 2025
| Group | Had a dental exam or cleaning |
|---|---|
| Less than a high school diploma | 44.4% |
| High school diploma or GED | 56.0% |
| Some college | 65.3% |
| College degree or higher | 80.4% |
| Hispanic | 62.2% |
| Black only, non-Hispanic | 60.2% |
| White only, non-Hispanic | 68.9% |
| Other races, non-Hispanic | 66.2% |
Dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months by region and urbanization, 2025
| Place | Had a dental exam or cleaning |
|---|---|
| Northeast | 71.2% |
| Midwest | 66.5% |
| South | 62.8% |
| West | 68.6% |
| Large central metro | 68.0% |
| Large fringe metro (suburbs) | 69.9% |
| Medium and small metro | 65.5% |
| Nonmetropolitan | 58.4% |
Over time
US adults with a dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months, NHIS
| Year | All adults | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 65.3% | 64.6-66.0 |
| 2020 | 63.0% | 62.2-63.7 |
| 2021 | Not asked | Not asked |
| 2022 | 63.3% | 62.5-64.1 |
| 2023 | 65.7% | 64.9-66.4 |
| 2024 | Not asked | Not asked |
| 2025 | 66.4% | 65.5-67.2 |
The question is rotating content in the NHIS, so it was not asked in 2021 or 2024. The NHIS questionnaire was redesigned in 2019, so earlier years are not shown.
Why sources differ
Same question, different answers
| Number | When | Who measured | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66.4% | 2025 | CDC NCHS, NHIS final data | Adults 18 and over who report a dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months |
| 66.7% | 2025 | CDC NCHS, NHIS early release (May 2026) | Same question, published before final editing and weighting |
| 40% | 2022 | ADA Health Policy Institute, from MEPS | Adults 19-64 with a dental visit in the year, from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey |
| 45% | 2022 | ADA Health Policy Institute, from MEPS | Whole US population with a dental visit, children and seniors included |
Two very different answers circulate: about two-thirds of adults, and about 40%. The CDC figure, 66.4% for 2025, comes from the National Health Interview Survey, where adults are asked how long it has been since their last dental examination or cleaning. CDC first published 66.7% in its May 2026 early release, which uses data before final editing and weighting; the final 2025 figure is 66.4%. The American Dental Association's Health Policy Institute instead uses the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and puts working-age adults (19 to 64) at 40% with a dental visit in 2022, and the whole population at 45%. HPI says its MEPS figure is a slight underestimate of true dental use, and that surveys such as the NHIS are prone to large overestimates, which is why it relies on MEPS. Neither publisher gives a single corrected number. Quote the CDC figure for what adults report, and the ADA figure for dental visits recorded in MEPS, each with its year and age range.
What it means
How to use these numbers
About two in three US adults say they had a dental checkup or cleaning in the past year, a share that dipped in 2020 and has since recovered to slightly above its 2019 level.
The gaps matter more than the average. Adults with a college degree (80.4%) are almost twice as likely to have been seen as those without a high school diploma (44.4%). Only 39.4% of uninsured adults under 65 had a cleaning, against 72.6% with private insurance. Adults in nonmetropolitan areas (58.4%) and the South (62.8%) are less likely to go than those in the Northeast (71.2%).
For a dental practice, the third of adults without a yearly visit is the main growth market, and they are not a random third: they skew lower-income, uninsured or on Medicaid, and rural. Recall reminders bring back existing patients; reaching the others usually takes clear pricing, membership plans for uninsured patients and Medicaid participation where it pays.
If someone quotes 40%, check whether it is the ADA's MEPS measure for adults 19 to 64.
Method and sources
How it was measured
Method
- Publisher
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey (Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults, 2019-2025)
- Sample
- NHIS, a national household interview survey of US adults; estimates are weighted and shown with 95% confidence intervals
- Definition
- Respondents were asked how long it had been since they last had a dental examination or cleaning; the figure is the share with one in the past 12 months, adults 18 and over
- Released
- 2025 final data in the NHIS interactive summary tables; the 2025 early release (66.7%) was published in May 2026
- Checked at source
- 31 October 2026: CDC NHIS Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults, the 2025 early release PDF and the FastStats Oral and Dental Health page; ADA HPI dental care market page and its 2024 national trends PDF
- Next release
- NCHS publishes an early release of the next survey year in spring and final data later; check whether the 2026 survey asks the dental question, as it rotates
- Last changed
- 31 Oct 2026
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Sources
- NCHS Health E-Stat 120, National Electronic Health Records Survey, CDC National Center for Health Statistics Official data
- Health Policy Institute research and data, American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute Industry body
Cite this page
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FAQ
More questions people ask
How many US adults have not been to the dentist in a year?
About a third. 66.4% of adults had a dental exam or cleaning in the past 12 months in 2025 (NHIS), which leaves roughly 33.6% who did not.
Do people with dental insurance go to the dentist more?
The NHIS splits by health coverage, not dental benefits: 72.6% of adults under 65 with private insurance had a dental exam or cleaning in 2025, against 53.5% on Medicaid and 39.4% uninsured.
Where in the US do adults visit the dentist most?
The Northeast, at 71.2% in 2025, followed by the West (68.6%). The South was lowest at 62.8%, and adults outside metro areas were at 58.4%.
Why does the ADA say only 40% of adults see a dentist?
The ADA Health Policy Institute uses MEPS, not the NHIS, and its 40% is for adults 19 to 64 in 2022. HPI says self-report surveys like the NHIS tend to overestimate dental use.
Every number on this page was checked at its original source (CDC National Center for Health Statistics, American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute). Free to cite with a link to this page.