Tools · vintage 2024

Compare dental costs by state

According to this archive's ADA Health Policy Institute private estimates and MACPAC adult-dental tiers (2024), pick a CDT and two jurisdictions. The lookup returns private-market and modeled Medicaid from 3,162 CDT x state cells; field presence, not a live fee schedule.

62
CDT procedures
51
Jurisdictions
100%
Private layer
50%
Medicaid layer

Coverage breadth ≠ uncovered basket

Before picking a CDT, 19 extensive programs sharing 58 covered codes are coverage-breadth #1 of 51 ≠ Hawaii's limited program at $54,042 uncovered-basket #1 (39 of 62 codes without a Medicaid fee), above Delaware none-tier at $51,300. Iowa extensive is the basket floor at $12,065. This form then returns private vs modeled Medicaid for one code.

58
Covered codes at breadth #1 (19 tied)
$54,042
Hawaii uncovered basket
$51,300
Delaware none-tier
$12,065
Iowa basket floor

Basket rank lives on /state/hawaii/ and /state/iowa/. A blank Medicaid cell here is archive sparsity, not a coverage decision. See /methodology/#uncovered-exposure.

Field presence before you compare

Count of CDT×state cells carrying each independently checkable layer, plus the share where private and modeled Medicaid both exist. This is archive completeness, not a cheapest-state ranking.

Data-layer coverage for this tool

CDT×state cells3162Private estimate3162Modeled Medicaid fee1585Both layers present1585
Descending count of CDT×state cells per layer. Answers what a compare lookup can return.

Both layers present

0%100%Medicaid layer50%50%
50% both layers · 50% Medicaid layer
1,585 of 3,162 cells carry private and modeled Medicaid together (50%). Medicaid-only share is 50%.

Source: ADA Health Policy Institute Survey of Dental Fees and Medicaid Reimbursement Compendium procedure_costs private_estimate / medicaid_fee · 2024 Private estimates use ADA HPI national midpoints × BEA Regional Price Parities. Medicaid dollars are modeled national averages × state multiplier, not live fee-schedule transcriptions.

What the form returns

Choose a CDT procedure and two jurisdictions. The result lists the private-market estimate and modeled Medicaid estimate (when the cell has one) for each state, plus the dollar and percentage gap between the private figures. Interstate cost context only, not a treatment plan.

Private estimates apply BEA Regional Price Parity to the ADA HPI national midpoint. Modeled Medicaid figures adjust the ADA HPI national Medicaid average with a state multiplier. Neither is a quote from a particular dentist, a reimbursement rate, or proof that a procedure is currently covered.

Every dollar figure on PlainDentalCost is rendered directly from our procedure-cost database (ADA Health Policy Institute Survey of Dental Fees 2024 averages and state adult-Medicaid coverage records), and no number is typed in by an editor. Medicaid dollar values are modeled estimates, not published state fee schedules. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Our database was last rebuilt on 16 May 2026.

PlainDentalCost publishes cost reference data for informational purposes only. It is not dental, medical, insurance, or financial advice, it does not describe what any particular practice will charge you, and coverage rules change, so confirm fees with the provider and benefits with the state Medicaid program before you rely on a number. Appropriate use.