DENTAL TOURISM

By Sheena Patel

Laura Kirk

Kunal Kotecha

WHAT IS DENTAL TOURISM?

Going abroad for cheaper dental services

Individuals seeking dental care outside their own health care system

Healthcare accompanied by a vacation

REASONS FOR TRAVEL Choice of destination

Price Travelling back to ancestral home

Travelling from high income countries (UK) to low cost developing economic countries (Poland)

Access to healthcare Rising costs and longer waiting lists/times Inadequate dental insurance coverage (USA)

Differences in healthcare plans

Added value of leisure and tourism

PRICING AND QUALITY Difference in prices and quality between locations:

Economic standings Difference in materials Difference in technical skills Difference in equipment / hygiene

Concern is whether or not large scale dentist procedures can be safely completed abroad in the short holiday sized period (approx 2 weeks)

High speed large scale treatment often require remedial work

Legal right in different countries are uncertain to the patient

Value for money

PRICING AND QUALITY

  Countries

 USA UK (Private) UK (NHS) Mexico Hungary Poland Czech Republic India

Procedures

Implants £        3,119   £                1,000   -   £         618   £        624   £        561  £            700   £        374 

Veneers

 £           936   £                    300   -   £         309   £        225   £        281  £ 250   £        137 

Root canals

 £        1,248   £                    110   £                     45   £         218   £          37   £        109  £ 70   £          50 

Crowns

 £        1,871   £                    350   £                   200   £         309   £        178   £        312  £ 200   £          50 

Fillings

 £           125   £                      90   £                     45   £           31   £          50   £          45   £ 50  £          50 

PRICING AND QUALITY Travel expenses and accommodation

have to be taken into account Finding a dentist

RISKY Do research (Price, Qualification, references,

duration of working experience, Reputation of the practice, Schedule of the clinics)

Recurrent visits from treatment done, requires secondary visits to the same dentist in their country

DENTAL TOURISM - POSITIVES Cheap Vacation Less waiting times Exotic treatments

DENTAL TOURISM - NEGATIVES Technical skills of dentist Materials Quality Language Laws and rights Healthcare system in that country Reputation of dentist and the practice Value for money

DISCUSSION

Any Questions ??

What your opinion??

BIBLIOGRAPHY www.worldental.org (dental tourism) www.wikipedia.org (dental tourism) www.yahoo.com (yahoo answers –

dental tourism) www.whatclinic.com ( prices)