St. Louis has been called the capital of sexually transmitted diseases, asthma and allergies.

Now “cavity capital” can be added to the list of St. Louis’ poor health rankings, according to Men’s Health magazine.

The magazine based the rankings on fluoride levels in the water, number of dental office visits per capita, percentage of people who’ve recently had teeth extractions, usage of dental floss, sales of dental care products and the number of dentists’ offices.

It’s not clear if the ranking system included the entire St. Louis metropolitan area. The findings appear in the November issue of the magazine.

Note from FAN:

Men’s Health lists the following 10 cities as having the worst teeth:

1. St. Louis – Fluoridated since 1963

2. Philadelphia – Fluoridated since 1954

3. Newark (NJ) – Not fluoridated

4. Baltimore (MD) – Fluoridated since 1952 (see article)

5. New Orleans (LA) – Fluoridated since 1974

6. Jackson, Mississippi – Fluoridated since 1969

7. Jersey City, New Jersey – Not fluoridated

8. Milwaukee (WI) – Fluoridated since 1953

9. Kansas City (MO) – Fluoridated since 1981

10. Dallas (TX) – Fluoridated since 1966

Men’s Health lists the following 10 cities as having the best dental health:

1. San Jose, California – Not Fluoridated

2. Fargo, North Dakota – Fluoridated since 1952

3. Boise, Idaho – Not fluoridated due to 0.79 ppm fluoride in water

4. Lincoln, Nebraska – Fluoridated since 1970

5. Sioux Falls, South Dakota – Fluoridated since 1970

6. Virginia Beach, Virginia – Fluoridated, according to CDC

7. Anaheim, California – 25% of its water fluoridated since November 2007

8. Raleigh, North Carolina – Fluoridated since 1957

9. Anchorage, Alaska – Not fluoridated

10. Colorado Springs, Colorado – Not fluoridated

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