WOHW conducted an analysis to estimate oral health population need (dental visits and dental insurance coverage) in comparison with the number of dentists in each Accountable Community of Health (ACH) of the state.
Population oral health data came from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a yearly survey that collects data from adults aged 18 years or older conducted by the Washington State Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dentist workforce data came from WOHW’s analysis of state licensure data.
Findings
In Washington state in 2022, 68.1% of adults reported they had visited a dentist, dental hygienist or dental clinic within the past year and 70.5% of adults in Washington had some kind of insurance coverage that pays for some or all of routine dental care, including dental insurance, prepaid plans such as HMOs, or government plans such as Medicaid.
Results from these analysis can be found in the brief titled “Dentist Distribution and Population Need” and below.
The figures below compare ACH rankings of BRFSS oral health access measures with dentist-to-population ratios based on state licenses.


Healthier Here, the ACH for King County, had the highest relative number of dentists (130 dentists per 100,000 population, Figure 1) and the highest percentages of adults who reported having been to the dentist within the past year (74.6%, Figure 2) and having dental insurance coverage (77.4%, Figure 3).
Thriving Together ACH (encompassing Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties) and Choice ACH (encompassing Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties) had the lowest relative number of dentists (51 and 49 per 100,000 population, respectively, Figure 1), the lowest percentage of adults who reported having visited a dentist within the past year (66.5% and 65.8%, respectively, Figure 2), and the lowest percentage of adults with dental insurance coverage (63.9% and 57.3% respectively, Figure 3).

Based on 2022 BRFSS data, ACHs with the highest percentages of adults reporting having dental insurance also had the highest percentage of adults reporting having visited a dentist within the past year (Figure 4). The ACH ranking order for insurance coverage matched the ranking order for percentage visiting a dentist across all ACHs.

Key Takeaways
The findings described in this brief based on dentist licenses and BRFSS data illustrate that dental visits are correlated with insurance coverage, suggesting increasing access to dental care requires attention to the financing and reimbursement of the services as well as strengthening the supply and distribution of dentists across the state.
Continued focus on enhancing and strengthening the oral health workforce in rural areas of the state is also important.
As reported by the Washington Health Workforce Sentinel Network, it can be difficult to recruit providers to rural areas, and this extends to oral healthcare settings. There are several programs in Washington aimed at addressing the shortage of dental providers in rural areas of the state, including:
- The University of Washington School of Dentistry Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) trains dental students to work in rural and underserved areas.
- The Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic offers a one-year Northwest Dental Residency Program serving rural communities in eastern Washington.
- A new School of Dental Medicine is opening at Pacific Northwest University in Yakima with a focus on educating dentists to serve in rural and underserved communities.
Ongoing tracking of data that describe Washington’s oral health workforce supply and distribution, as well as updates to information about insurance coverage and access to dental services in the state, are needed to address the population’s oral health care needs.
Limitations: There are limitations with the data used for this report. We are not able to determine if the address associated with a dentist’s license is where they are currently practicing, or if they are currently practicing. BRFSS data are collected via a voluntary telephone survey and participation may not be representative of the entire population. BRFSS data do not indicate why people have not visited the dentist in the past or why they lack dental insurance. We also cannot determine if individuals are going to the dentist in the same ACH as where they live.
Data sources
- State licensure data: Using mailing addresses provided in Washington State Department of Health licensure data, we analyzed dentist licenses for 2022. As this data is based on address provided in the dentist license, there is no indication of whether the dentist is actively practicing or practicing in the ZIP code/county of the license address.
- BRFSS data: The Washington State Department of Health partners with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which is a yearly survey and collects data from adults aged 18 years or older. Limitations of the data can be found here: https://doh.wa.gov/data-and-statistical-reports/data-systems/behavioral-risk-factor-surveillance-system-brfss/brfss-collecting-data.
- ACHs: There are nine ACHs in Washington. Each ACH is composed of one or more counties and is responsible for coordinating healthcare initiatives in the counties it oversees. Although each ACH is unique, they share a common approach to improving the health of their communities and changing health care delivery. Here is a map of the ACHs in Washington State and the counties they represent: https://www.hca.wa.gov/assets/program/ach-map.pdf. For more information on ACHs: https://www.hca.wa.gov/about-hca/programs-and-initiatives/medicaid-transformation-project-mtp/accountable-communities-health-achs.