Top zip codes for fees charged for periodic oral exams

Another week of periodic oral exams are upon us, and the stream of patients checking in for this relatively low-cost dental procedure leads us to whisper a prayer of thanks for the dental health system.

The main objective of insurance code D0120 is to ensure that established patients reporting in for recare are maintaining good oral health. But some checkups evolve to the discovery of disease, leading to the more expensive treatments that dental professionals provide.

D0120 is the first step, and the cost of the checkup is definitely more expensive in San Francisco than Omaha — hence our rankings below.

As we mentioned in DentistryIQ.com’s earlier ranking of adult prophy fees, Sikka Software Corp. manages the Fee Analyzer service available on DentistryIQ.com, and more information can be obtained here.

Sikka’s analysis of fees for dental professionals covers a variety of percentiles, but the fees quoted in this article are the median fees reported for a zip code.

Low 24210 (Virginia)

The 34-mile Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail starts in this zip code, which encompasses the town of Abingdon, Va. Mountain bikers favor the former railway running through the Blue Ridge mountains deep in the tail of Virginia. The train passengers of yesteryear admired the beauty of the ivy, which became the namesake for the railway and then the hiking trail. Statistics about zip code 24210

• Population in zip code: approximately 14,000
• Land area of zip code: 138 square miles
• Median household income: $39,684
• % of residents below poverty level: 18%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 209
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $34
• ADA’s reported median for its South Atlantic region, which includes Virginia: $42
• Overall, Virginia ranks 4th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 78% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

• Population in zip code: approximately 29,000
• Land area of zip code: Less than one square mile
• Median household income: $42,165
• % of residents below poverty level: 27%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 365
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $79
• ADA’s reported median for its Pacific region, which includes California: $52
• Overall, California ranks 27th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 70% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

Low 74955 (Oklahoma)

Sallisaw is the Oklahoma suburb to Fort Smith (in Arkansas). Think of True Grit’s Rooster Cogburn embarking into the Indian Nation to shoot himself an outlaw. Cherokee leader Sequoyah, who built a cabin where his statue now stands, tried converting English into Cherokee symbols. It didn’t work. As editors, we sympathize; English is a tough language to master.

Statistics about zip code 74955

• Population in zip code: approximately 13,000
• Land area of zip code: 172 square miles
• Median household income: $36,035
• % of residents below poverty level: 19%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 176
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $34
• ADA’s reported median for its West South Central region, which includes Oklahoma: $40
• Overall, Oklahoma ranks 50th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 57% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

• Population in zip code: approximately 17,000
• Land area of zip code: Eight square miles
• Median household income: $95,344
• % of residents below poverty level: 7%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 67
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $77
• ADA’s reported median for its West North Central region, which includes Michigan: $39
• Overall, Michigan ranks 18th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 73% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

Low 68127 (Nebraska)

Four golf courses are either within this Omaha zip code or within a mile of it. Golf is an expensive game to play. Going to the dentist for a checkup is not. The residential Ralston neighborhood is a 15-minute commute from downtown, and the 6,031 children (in 2010) have plenty of options for entertainment in the nearby city parks.

Statistics for zip code 68127

• Population in zip code: approximately 22,000
• Land area of zip code: Seven square miles
• Median household income: $53,946
• % of residents below poverty level: 12%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 338
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $35
• ADA’s reported median for its West North Central region, which includes Nebraska: $39
• Overall, Nebraska ranks 28th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 60% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

• Population in zip code: approximately 20,000
• Land area of zip code: 28 square miles
• Median household income: $79,974
• % of residents below poverty level: 9%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 178
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $76
• ADA’s reported median for its West North Central region, which includes Michigan: $45
• Overall, Colorado ranks 35th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 68% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

Low 52632 (Iowa)
The American bald eagle likes the Mississippi River area around Keokuk, and that’s good enough for us. The bad news is that the best time to view the eagles is in January. The town also prides itself on Civil War reenactments in April, which is much more seasonable (55 degrees as compared to below freezing).

Statistics for zip code 52632

• Population in zip code: approximately 12,000
• Land area of zip code: 56 square miles
• Median household income: $40,260
• % of residents below poverty level: 26%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 480
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $35
• ADA’s reported median for its West North Central region, which includes Iowa: $39
• Overall, Iowa ranks 7th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 76% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

• Population in zip code: approximately 19,000
• Land area of zip code: Eight square miles
• Median household income: $156,853
• % of residents below poverty level: 4%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 68
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $73
• ADA’s reported median for its East North Central region, which includes Illinois: $42
• Overall, Illinois ranks 26th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 70% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

Low 46947 (Indiana)
Logansport serves as a county seat, located about halfway between Chicago and Indianapolis — but 35 miles or so from the well-traveled Interstate 65 connecting the two urban sprawls. A carousel (that’s not a typo) is on the National Register of Historic Places, and Felix the Cat is the high school’s mascot. So this zip code does not blend in with the indistinctiveness of other rural zip codes.Statistics for zip code 46947

• Population in zip code: approximately 20,000
• Land area of zip code: 185 square miles
• Median household income: $50,652
• % of residents below poverty level: 23%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 267
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $35
• ADA’s reported median for its East North Central region, which includes Iowa: $42
• Overall, Indiana ranks 32nd in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 69% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.

• Population in zip code: approximately 2,000
• Land area of zip code: 15 square miles
• Median household income: $81,517
• % of residents below poverty level: 6%
• Crime index ranking (U.S. average = 319): 169
• Median fee for periodic oral evaluation: $72
• ADA’s reported median for its Mountain region, which includes Nevada: $45
• Overall, Nevada ranks 36th in the country for residents’ annual visits to the dental office; 67% of the state’s residents visited the dentist in 2011.