Alameda County residents urgently need more dental care. Here is what AHS is doing about it 

The AHS Index is a new way to look at data that illuminates a snapshot of our world today. It is intended to highlight health inequities and spark conversation, debate, outrage, and wonder. 

Percent of Medi-Cal eligible adults living in Alameda County who did not go to the dentist in 2016: 80% 

Number of Medi-Cal eligible Oakland residents per single dentist that accepts Medi-Cal, according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration, which designated Oakland as a “dental health professional shortage area”: 8,667 

Percent of Alameda County dentists who accept Medi-Cal: 10.2% 

Number of new patients AHS is projected to serve after it expands dental services at Eastmont Wellness: 20,000* 

Percent of unhoused people who named dental access as their most pressing need, in an Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless survey: 70% 

Number of unhoused patients Alameda Health System’s new mobile dental van is expected to serve per year, from an initial appointment through an up-to 5-day treatment plan: 100*  

Number of children’s dental appointments AHS provided in fiscal year 2024: 7,842* 

Percent of Medi-Cal eligible children in Alameda County who did not have a dental visit in 2016: 55.5% 

Percent of emergency room visits for preventable dental conditions that were made by children 0-5 years old: 47.5% 

Prevalence of untreated cavities among white adults in the U.S., according to 2011-2016 data: 21% 

Among Black adults: 40%   

Number of cavities Alameda Health System (AHS) dentists filled in fiscal year 2024: 3,180* 

*Data provided by Alameda Health System