2026 dental access report card
Dental access in Missouri
From the U.S. Dental Access Report 2026 by Pete Johnson, founder of dentalist.ai. Source: federal NPPES registry (October 2026) and Census Vintage 2024 estimates. Updated October 21, 2026.
Overall access rank
38th of 51
69.6 dentists per 100k people (national: 80.2)
Pediatric access rank
45th of 51
9.3 pediatric dentists per 100k children (national: 14.9)
Pediatric desert
Missouri sits in the bottom ten states for pediatric dental access, with roughly one pediatric dentist for every 10,804 children. Families here often rely on general dentists for kids' care, and the right pediatric specialist may be a city or two away.
4,348
Registered dentists
3,049
Practice addresses
280
Cities and towns
14.8%
Specialist share
Specialty coverage
Dentists in Missouri by primary registered specialty, with the per-100k rate next to the national rate.
| Specialty | Dentists | Per 100k | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric dentistry | 127 | 2 | 3.2 |
| Orthodontics | 204 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Oral surgery | 137 | 2.2 | 2.7 |
| Endodontics | 77 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Periodontics | 68 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
| Prosthodontics | 30 | 0.5 | 1.1 |
Where Missouri's dentists concentrate
| City | Dentists | Pediatric |
|---|---|---|
| St Louis | 694 | 20 |
| Kansas City | 547 | 24 |
| Springfield | 248 | 10 |
| Columbia | 151 | 10 |
| Lees Summit | 111 | 2 |
frequently asked questions
How many dentists are in Missouri?
Missouri has 4,348 NPI-registered dentists practicing at 3,049 addresses in 280 cities and towns, per the federal NPPES registry (October 2026). That is 69.6 dentists per 100,000 residents, against a national rate of 80.2.
How does Missouri rank for dental access?
Missouri ranks 38th of 51 for dentists per capita in the U.S. Dental Access Report 2026. For pediatric access it ranks 45th of 51, with 9.3 pediatric dentists per 100,000 children.
How many pediatric dentists does Missouri have?
Missouri has 127 NPI-registered pediatric dentists, roughly one for every 10,804 children in the state. The national average is one for every 6,705 children.
Counts are individual dentists' NPI registrations from the federal NPPES registry (October 2026), with deactivated registrations removed; they are not licensure data and can include dentists who have retired. Denominators: Census Vintage 2024 estimates. Full methodology in the national report.
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