Wisconsinites’ positive sleep habits and active social lives say something about the state’s oral health, a new study shows.
A 2025 report by personal finance website WalletHub rated Wisconsin as the third-best state for dental health in a study that looked at 25 key indicators of dental wellness, including access to dental care and dental treatment costs.
As a top scorer, Wisconsin received a four-sentence summary for its ranking:
The third-best state for dental health is Wisconsin, in part because it has the lowest percentage of people with sleeping problems due to dental conditions. It also has the lowest share of people whose oral state has caused them to cut back on their social lives or to take days off in the past year.
In addition, Wisconsin has the ninth-most dental professionals per capita, which provides residents with more options and the prospect of getting an appointment more quickly. Dental patients in Wisconsin also benefit from having the third-lowest cost for routine cleanings.
Marquette Today asked professionals in Marquette’s School of Dentistry to break down WalletHub’s claims sentence-by-sentence.
Wisconsin “has the lowest percentage of people with sleeping problems due to dental conditions.”
Dr. Yasser Khaled, clinical assistant professor and predoctoral program director of oral medicine and orofacial pain, specializes in temporomandibular disorders, known as TMD. He says many of his patients with jaw-related pain require a night guard due to stress-related conditions.
“The main question I ask them is how many hours of sleep they get,” Khaled says. “‘Do you get consistent sleep, or do you wake up a lot at night?’ It might be four or five hours, or less. I tell them this is likely the main cause of their problems.”
However, Khaled believes Wisconsinites are less stressed compared to other regions of the U.S. due to a high quality of life and therefore may have fewer jaw-related sleeping problems.
“I’ve traveled to 22 different countries and many different states in America, and I would say the lifestyle in many of those places is very different than it is here,” Khaled explains. “People in Wisconsin mainly care about their quality of life, they care about having families, they care about having friends and socializing.”
Wisconsin “has the lowest share of people whose oral state has caused them to cut back on their social lives or to take days off in the past year.”
Khaled believes there’s a direct correlation between Wisconsin’s social norms and WalletHub’s claim. A main reason, he says, is the state’s drinking culture.
“Patients in Wisconsin, many of them like to drink alcohol,” he says. “I advise my patients saying, ‘OK, I think you need to reduce your quantity of drinking,’ and they respond saying ‘We live in Wisconsin, I’m not going to do that.’”
Excessive drinking can lead to oral health problems including ulcerations and decreased immunity, Khaled says. He recommends to all his patients — especially those who are socially active — to use preventative measures and practice good oral hygiene: brushing, flossing and rinsing every day.
Overall, WalletHub found that Wisconsin has the fourth-highest life satisfaction rating due to oral condition.
“Wisconsin has the ninth-most dental professionals per capita, which provides residents with more options and the prospect of getting an appointment more quickly.”
As the state’s only dental school, Marquette clearly has a significant role in contributing to Wisconsin’s dental workforce. Of the over 3,100 active and retired dentists who are members of the Wisconsin Dental Association, roughly half are Marquette graduates.
According to a 2023 assessment by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wisconsin has an estimated 2,300 general dentists, with an area concentration ratio in line with the national average. However, the state has identified Dental Health Shortage Areas as anywhere outside five of its most populated counties: Brown, Dane, Kenosha, Milwaukee and Waukesha.
“Many graduates are drawn to urban settings and seek employment there,” says Katie Koncki, assistant dean of student affairs. “A key objective for our office is to encourage students to explore all potential paths, factoring in both short-term and long-term goals, lifestyle preferences and available practice opportunities upon graduation.”
Additionally, the office works to establish connections with practices in need of associates, particularly in rural areas, to broaden their search and help address gaps in care, Koncki says.
The school and its government partners have made efforts in recent years to place students and graduates in rural areas. The state’s Higher Educational Aids Board established the Dental Scholarship Program “to encourage dentists to practice in designated Dental Health Shortage Areas.” The scholarship program awards up to 15 Marquette dental students an annual scholarship equal to $30,000 for every academic year in which they apply and are eligible.
Last year, the school became the first in the country to offer a diploma privilege program to graduates, which accelerates the licensing process for young dentists hoping to join Wisconsin’s workforce by eliminating the need to pass a regional practical examination. And, in February of this year, the school hired Dr. Le’erin Voss as director of externships, a role that will help place students in clinics and practices across the state.
“Dental patients in Wisconsin also benefit from having the third-lowest cost for routine cleanings.”
Upon reading WalletHub’s report, Dr. Christopher Okunseri, professor and director of the predoctoral program for dental public health, pointed to several driving factors for the assertion that Wisconsin is among the most affordable states for dental care: Medicaid dental insurance coverage, dental hygiene academic programs, community health centers with dental clinics, mobile dental programs and school-based programs.
“One of the benefits of Medicaid is the adult dental coverage,” Okunseri says. “Medicaid does not pay a lot, but it has adult coverage, and so it is not unusual to find that many patients that have access always get their routine cleanings done.”
BadgerCare Plus, Wisconsin’s Medicaid, covers dental services for eligible individuals, including children. Marquette’s School of Dentistry is one of the state’s largest dental Medicaid providers.
The WalletHub analysis also considered school-based dental sealant programs. In Wisconsin, Seal-A-Smile provides free services to children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “School-based sealant programs provide pit and fissure sealants to children in a school setting. These programs generally target vulnerable populations that may be at greater risk for developing decay and less likely to receive preventive care.”
“Wisconsin has a very robust school-based program which could account for some of these utilizations and lower costs in routine cleanings,” Okunseri says.
Learn more about the School of Dentistry’s insurance and payment coverages.
