verified_userOpen data • CC BY 4.0 • Permanent DOIs

How to Cite Our Dental Cost Data

All of our datasets are free to cite under CC BY 4.0 — no permission needed, attribution only. Each dataset has a permanent Zenodo DOI for academic citation. Copy-paste APA and BibTeX citations for every dataset are below.

Quick inline citation

Need a fast attribution line for an article or report? Copy this ready-to-use sentence:

Inline
According to the US Dental Cost Index 2026 by Real Dental Costs (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20531728), ...

A link back to realdentalcosts.com/en/us-dental-cost-index/ alongside the citation is always appreciated.

Cite the datasets (APA & BibTeX)

US Dental Cost Index by State 2026

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20531728 · CSV: us-dental-cost-index-2026.csv

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). US Dental Cost Index by State 2026 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20531728
BibTeX
@dataset{realdentalcosts2026state,
  author = {{Real Dental Costs Data and Research Team}},
  title = {US Dental Cost Index by State 2026},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20531728},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20531728}
}

US Dental Insurance Acceptance by State 2026

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20666358 · CSV: us-dental-insurance-acceptance-by-state-2026.csv

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). US Dental Insurance Acceptance by State 2026 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20666358
BibTeX
@dataset{realdentalcosts2026insurance,
  author = {{Real Dental Costs Data and Research Team}},
  title = {US Dental Insurance Acceptance by State 2026},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20666358},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20666358}
}

US Dental Cost by City / Metro 2026

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20819438 · CSV: us-dental-cost-by-city-2026.csv

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). US Dental Cost by City / Metro 2026 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20819438
BibTeX
@dataset{realdentalcosts2026city,
  author = {{Real Dental Costs Data and Research Team}},
  title = {US Dental Cost by City / Metro 2026},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20819438},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20819438}
}

Canada Dental Cost Index by Province 2026

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20744781 · CSV: canada-dental-cost-index-by-province-2026.csv · Explore it on our Canada dental costs hub

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). Canada Dental Cost Index by Province 2026 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20744781
BibTeX
@dataset{realdentalcosts2026canada,
  author = {{Real Dental Costs Data and Research Team}},
  title = {Canada Dental Cost Index by Province 2026},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20744781},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20744781}
}

US Dental Deserts: Access & Affordability Atlas 2026

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22062646 · CSV: us-dental-deserts-atlas-2026.csv · Explore it with the county lookup tool

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). US Dental Deserts: Access & Affordability Atlas 2026 [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062646
BibTeX
@dataset{realdentalcosts2026deserts,
  author = {{Real Dental Costs Data and Research Team}},
  title = {US Dental Deserts: Access and Affordability Atlas 2026},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22062646},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062646}
}

Medicaid Dental Paid per Claim Line by CDT Code and State, 2018-2024 (derived from HHS T-MSIS)

DOI: 10.7910/DVN/7F2BZI · CSV: medicaid-dental-paid-by-state-2018-2024.csv · API: /api/v1/medicaid/index.json · Explore it on the Medicaid coverage by state page. Upstream source to cite alongside: HHS/CMS, Medicaid Provider Spending by HCPCS (T-MSIS), v2026-02-09.

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). Medicaid Dental Paid per Claim Line by CDT Code and State, 2018-2024 [Data set]. Harvard Dataverse. https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/7F2BZI
BibTeX
@dataset{realdentalcosts2026medicaidpaid,
  author = {{Real Dental Costs Data and Research Team}},
  title = {Medicaid Dental Paid per Claim Line by CDT Code and State, 2018-2024},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {Harvard Dataverse},
  doi = {10.7910/DVN/7F2BZI},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/7F2BZI}
}

Cite the annual report

Our flagship analysis, the State of U.S. Dental Costs 2026 — real prices for 12 procedures across 51 state markets and 206 cities, plus Medicaid access and affordability — can be cited directly:

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). State of U.S. Dental Costs 2026. Real Dental Costs. https://realdentalcosts.com/en/state-of-us-dental-costs-2026/

A print-ready PDF is available: State of U.S. Dental Costs 2026 — v2, corrected edition (July 30, 2026). It replaces the withdrawn v1, which contained figures we have since retracted — see the data corrections log.

Methodology report

Our full methodology report, US Dental Cost Index 2026: Methodology, is deposited on HAL (id hal-05682406):

APA
Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team. (2026). US Dental Cost Index 2026: Methodology. HAL. https://hal.science/hal-05682406

See the full write-up on our methodology page.

Download the data

DatasetCSVDOILicense
US Dental Cost Index by State 2026CSV10.5281/zenodo.20531728CC BY 4.0
US Dental Insurance Acceptance by State 2026CSV10.5281/zenodo.20666358CC BY 4.0
US Dental Cost by City / Metro 2026CSV10.5281/zenodo.20819438CC BY 4.0
Canada Dental Cost Index by Province 2026CSV10.5281/zenodo.20744781CC BY 4.0
US Dental Deserts: Access & Affordability Atlas 2026CSV10.5281/zenodo.22062646CC BY 4.0
Medicaid Dental Paid per Claim Line by CDT Code and State 2018-2024CSV10.7910/DVN/7F2BZICC BY 4.0 (derived; source HHS public domain)

JSON API for developers and AI agents

The same U.S. data is served as a free, open JSON API — static versioned endpoints, no key, CORS enabled, documented with an OpenAPI 3.1 spec: see the dental cost API documentation or start at /api/v1/index/meta.json. Attribution requirements are identical (CC BY 4.0).

As seen in

Our data has been cited by LegalClarity, SeniorLiving.org, The Senior List, AZ Dentist, DataHub.io, and independent dental practices across the U.S.

Embed our widget or badge

Embed the live US Dental Cost Index widget on your site — cheapest and most expensive states at a glance, always up to date — or use the lightweight text badge. Both snippets include the CC BY 4.0 attribution.

Live widget

Widget embed snippet
<iframe src="https://realdentalcosts.com/embed/us-dental-cost-index/"
  width="100%" height="520" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px;max-width:560px"
  loading="lazy" title="US Dental Cost Index 2026"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:13px;margin:6px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://realdentalcosts.com/en/us-dental-cost-index/">US Dental Cost Index 2026 — Real Dental Costs</a> (CC BY 4.0)</p>

Paste into any article or CMS that accepts HTML. The attribution line below the iframe satisfies CC BY 4.0.

Text badge

US Dental Cost Index 2026
Source: RealDentalCosts.com
Badge snippet
<a href="https://realdentalcosts.com/en/us-dental-cost-index/" title="US Dental Cost Index 2026">US Dental Cost Index 2026 — Real Dental Costs</a>

Frequently asked questions

Do I need permission to use this data?
No. All our datasets are released under CC BY 4.0, which permits free use, redistribution and commercial use as long as you provide attribution to Real Dental Costs. There is no need to ask us first.
How should I attribute the data?
Cite the dataset DOI (see the citations below) or link to https://realdentalcosts.com/en/us-dental-cost-index/. Either a formal citation or a simple attribution link satisfies the CC BY 4.0 requirement.
How often is the data updated?
The underlying pricing data is reviewed and refreshed annually. Each release keeps its own permanent, versioned DOI on Zenodo, so citations to a specific year remain stable even after a new release is published.
Can journalists and researchers get help with the data?
Yes. Contact us via the site for questions about a specific figure or methodology detail. Our methodology page documents the underlying sources and exactly how each index is constructed.
Researched & verified by the Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team

Independent dental pricing research — every series carries a named source, and corrections are logged publicly. Not medical advice.

Reviewed: How we verify our data

Data Methodology & Sources

The Real Dental Costs Data & Research Team publishes the source of every series. Single-implant prices are our own observed dataset, published openly (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20531728). Braces, veneer, crown and denture prices are from the Average Procedural Cost Study conducted by ASQ360° Market Research for Synchrony's CareCredit. Remaining procedures are compiled from published payer and provider fee data (2024–2026) and are national estimates that vary by provider and location. Corrections are logged publicly.
Pricing & Research Disclaimer: Real Dental Costs publishes independent dental pricing and market-research data for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation. Costs vary by provider and location — always consult a licensed dentist for clinical guidance and an exact quote.

Explore more dental costs

Compare prices, coverage and savings options across the U.S.

dentistryDental ImplantsCost by type & statediamondVeneersPorcelain vs compositeorthopedicsBraces & InvisalignTreatment pricingcrownCrownsMaterials & priceshealth_and_safetyFull Coverage DentalInsurance: what it coverspaymentsFinancing & LoansPay over timesavingsDental Savings PlansCut 10–60% off the billleaderboardCost Index by State2026 rankings