The availability and distribution of dentists in rural ZIP codes and primary care health professional shortage areas (PC-HPSA) ZIP codes: comparison with primary care providers.
OBJECTIVE
This paper maps dentists, primary care physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives in rural areas and rural areas meeting criteria as underserved for primary health care.


METHODS
Computer-based mapping was used to localize health care provider groups by five-digit ZIP code. For each rural and each rural primary care health professional shortage area (PC-HPSA) ZIP code, the number of providers in each group was determined. The different combinations of providers were determined.


RESULTS
All providers in rural areas were present at levels substantially lower than national averages, particularly in PC-HPSA areas. Dentists were approximately equal in number to primary care physicians in rural areas and the largest group in PC-HPSAs. Approximately 75 percent of rural residents lived in ZIP code areas with dentists available. Over 5.8 million rural residents and over 50 percent of rural PC-HPSA residents had no providers available in their ZIP code areas.


CONCLUSIONS
Rural areas continue to have a short supply of primary care providers and dentists. Dentists were present in many areas where primary care provider presence was absent or very low. These data, including those relating to provider co-presence, can be used to develop strategies to overcome health care access problems due to provider shortages.
Knapp
K K
KK
School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA. kknapp@uop.edu
Hardwick
K
K
D003815:Dentists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States