Health Affairs June 24, 2025
In Alabama’s Black Belt, you can drive 60 to 90 miles without passing a single dental provider. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, several counties—including Perry, Greene, Lowndes, and Wilcox—have one or no dentists at all. Residents often live with chronic pain, untreated infection, or shame so deep they stop smiling altogether. In policy terms, this is a “dental desert.” In human terms, it’s a crisis.
Yet, oral health remains on the periphery of mainstream health policy. Medicare does not cover routine dental care. Medicaid dental benefits for adults are optional, and Alabama is one of a dwindling number of states that provides no comprehensive dental coverage for adults. This leaves millions across the South—particularly in rural or...
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