In Illinois, where fluoridation is state-mandated, More people turning to ER for dental problems, study says - chicagotribune.com

 Moreover, with fewer dentists willing to treat Medicaid patients, including only 10 percent of dentists in Illinois, people are increasingly turning to hospital emergency rooms for routine dental problems at nearly 10 times the cost, according to a recent report released by the Pew Center on the States.

In Illinois, about 65,500 residents in 2009 went to the ER for dental conditions, of which almost half were deemed preventable, according to the campaign, a division of the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts.

The trend is not just playing out in low-income neighborhoods, but in solidly middle-class suburbs.