Dental Tourism
Dental tourism is a concept in which an individual seeks dental care in another country, primarily because of the lower cost of care in that locale. Dental tourism is one of the most popular forms of medical tourism. It is hardly new in Europe. The Germans and Austrians have been going to Hungary for dentistry for years to save money. In Austria alone, one in three patients seek a treatment in neighboring Hungary. In the UK, half of the 52500 Britons who travel abroad for a medical treatment every year, jet off for dental treatment. According to British Dental Association (2007) the shortage of NHS dentists and long waiting lists in the United Kingdom has led to a boom in dental tourism abroad. In America, according to Cetron et al (2005), the trend for dental tourism is growing but is not new, as Americans have long looked for cheaper options for medical and dental treatments.
Not only is the price the reason for its popularity, but also the fact that majority of dental treatments are completed usually within a few days and are often non invasive, unlike cardio or neurosurgery. Dental tourism service outlets promise low cost and high quality and they pitch their services to relatively affluent but cost-conscious consumers in Western Europe and the United States. It is often the case that a dental treatment is combined with a relaxing break to one of the overseas cosmetic dentistry clinics to meet one of the best cosmetic dentists abroad.
The most popular destinations for affordable dental treatments are India, Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, Hungary, Turkey, Czech Republic and Poland. The prices of services differ between countries. The average cost of an implant in Poland, Hungary or Czech Republic is ₤600. Not surprisingly Britons or Americans opt to travel abroad to seek dental treatments as the average price of an implant in the UK stands at ₤1500 (without the crown) and the US at ₤1800 ($3500).
The change in people’s attitudes towards healthy teeth and a beautiful smile is yet another factor behind the popularity of dental tourism. This trend is growing in the UK as people become more educated and interested in thorough oral hygiene. The growth in cosmetic dentistry in the UK paralleled that of cosmetic surgery and non-surgery (growth of 340 % over the period 2001 – 2006). This trend has for years been very strong in the United States, where healthy teeth are synonymous with wealth and overall well-being.
With increasing life expectancy in developed countries the issue of ‘eternal youth’ is becoming even more important for people in older age. As the state of one’s teeth generally reflects the state of one’s health, older people started to pay more attention to their teeth. They are usually more concerned with money and have got more time to travel overseas for dental treatment. The beautiful smile at older age has become a Public Relation tool for ensuring a general well-being of a person. This is yet another reason behind the growth in interest in cosmetic dentistry abroad.
According to Academy of General Dentistry dental tourism might carry some risks because dentists in developing countries do not always adhere to usually higher standards of developed countries. It also argues that dental work completed abroad cannot be guaranteed and patients might have problems getting eventual compensation because of the difference in legal systems of foreign countries.
