World Smile Day: How Do Iowa Teeth Stack Up Against The Rest?

If you're reading this today (October 6), happy World Smile Day! One of the easiest ways to improve someone else's day is to help make them smile. It may be a tiny gesture to some but for others, I can turn someone's entire day around. I challenge you to make someone smile today.

You could hold the door open for someone or give someone a small compliment. The world could use more people smiling and if there was ever a day to show someone else kindness, today is that day. Also, don't tell your server or bartender to smile more...that's rude and has never worked in the history of socializing.

How Do Iowa Smiles Stack Up Against The Rest?

Public Flourish Studio put together a state ranking of the best smiles in the country. They've created a "Smile Index Score" with their research based on a variety of factors. Those factors include the percentage of adults who've visited a dentist in the past year, the number of general dentists per 100,000 population, the percentage of adults who smoke, Water Fluoridation, overall condition of mouth and teeth, etc. Basically, we're learning about how healthy the teeth are in Iowa.

The Results

While the results for the state of Iowa aren't exactly spectacular...they aren't horrible either. With Public Flourish Studio's research, each state received a Smile Index Score out of 100. Iowa ranks 21st in the country with a score of 54.70.

For comparison, Minnesota was ranked 1st, with a score of 78.30. As I said, not exactly great but Iowa does rank in the top 50%. The biggest factor that affects Iowa's overall Smile Index Score is the percentage of adults who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and those who smoke on a regular basis. 14.6% of adults in Iowa have smoked that many cigarettes and/or currently smoke on a regular basis.

At The End Of The Day

99 times out of 100, any smile you encounter during the day is going to be preferable to having someone glare at you. Today is National Smile Day, so I'd say show off your best smile all day and you might be surprised how many people send you a smile right back.

Unless...you run into a smile that looks like this. In this instance, RUN!