Dental care for people in Georgia and Ohio costs almost $150 less than the U.S. average of $607 a year, says a federal government study released Thursday.
The average annual expenditure for dental care in Georgia was $466, while in Ohio it was $474, said the latestNews and Numbersfrom the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Among the other findings from the analysis of average annual dental expenditures in the 10 states with the highest populations in 2006:
The highest proportion of residents with dental expenses (52.5 percent) was in Michigan and the lowest was in Texas (30 percent).
The national average for out-of-pocket payment for dental care was 49 percent. People in Florida paid more (62.5 percent) and those in Pennsylvania paid less (42 percent).
Nationally, private insurers paid 43 percent of all dental expenditures.
-----
Chinese Drywall Contains Higher Chemical Content
Chinese-made drywall has higher amounts of some chemicals than American-made drywall, say U.S. government agencies that have investigated reports of health problems, foul smells and corrosion by owners of homes with the Chinese product.
The Environmental Protection Agency and other departments have analyzed the drywall and say further study is needed to determine if there's a direct link between the problems and the wallboard, theAssociated Pressreported.
During the peak of the U.S. housing boom, materials became scarce, and construction companies imported millions of pounds of Chinese-made drywall, which ended up in thousands of homes.