The world’s first dental tourism survey has shown high levels of satisfaction among the thousands of dental tourists around the world with the treatment they received in other countries.
The survey was conducted by RevaHealth.com, a medical and dental tourism search engine that provides information to patients seeking medical and dental treatment abroad.
Results from the survey showed that worldwide, patients who had travelled abroad to receive treatment gave an average satisfaction rating of 84%, along with an average cost saving of 60% of the cost of the dental treatment locally.
More than 95% of respondents stated that cost was the main reason why they considered going abroad for dental treatment, but when it came to choosing which clinic to visit, quality was the deciding factor.
Patient satisfaction levels were highest for clinics in Hungary, Poland and Thailand, although the survey reported considerable variations in satisfaction between treatment countries visited as a whole.
It was found that only 50% of patients had visited their local dentist prior to making an inquiry through the search engine.
Patients from the UK who use the search engine mostly travel to central and eastern European destinations, with many also travelling to Turkey and Thailand.
The survey showed that worldwide, implants, crowns and veneers were the main treatments the consumer was interested in when making an inquiry to their website.
However, the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) recently warned of the risks in seeking dental care abroad.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the BDHF, said: ‘It is a big worry that so many people are now willing to travel abroad for dental treatment without being fully aware of the risks.
‘Not all dentists are as highly trained as those in the UK, where extensive training and strict examinations are undertaken to ensure they meet the high standards required.
‘So-called ‘dental holidays’ are presented as a cheap and hassle-free alternative to getting treatment in this country, but we know from calls to our Dental Helpline that if things go wrong then nothing could be further from the truth.’
