Oral Health Care in Rural America.

(1) Rural Americans are twice as likely to lose their adult teeth as their urban counterparts. (2) Seventy-two percent of the country is classified as rural, but is home to only 15 percent of the population (46.2 million people). (3) According to the Pew Center on the States, rural residents are more likely to use emergency departments for their oral health needs because of a lack of dental insurance and a shortage of dental providers.