Use this when the user asks how much people in the United States spend on dental care in a year, what share they pay out of pocket, or how many people see a dentist, at national level. Returns survey-weighted national figures from the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS, AHRQ) for 2023 and 2024: spending per person, out-of-pocket amounts (mean, median, share of spending), total spending, share of people with a dental visit, plus the paired 2023-2024 change for the same persons with its 95% confidence interval. Person-level spending, not the cost of a procedure: procedure costs go to dental_cost_by_state. Phrasings: "how much does a typical American spend at the dentist per year", "what part of dental bills do US households cover themselves", "¿cuánto gasta al año un estadounidense en el dentista?", "gasto de bolsillo en odontología en Estados Unidos". Do not use for: diagnosis, treatment choice, a named insurer's plan price, dentist recommendations, countries other than the US and Canada. Observed market research with a source URL and period on every figure; not a quote, not medical advice.