NOVEMBER2017 Dental Tourism Who travel more – patients or dentists? Globalization process has definitely made a huge impact on travelling and health system all around the world. It has allowed patients go to another country for a dental treatment as well as doctors work abroad. But do you know which countries are the most popular among patients and dentists? What are the main reasons forcing people to leave? If you are curious, keep on reading! Dental Tourism: Patients Sending/receiving countries According to statistics in 2007 the recipient countries in Europe were Hungary (39%), Poland (32%), Turkey (15%), Spain (7%) and Bulgaria (7%) while sending countries in 2010 were United Kingdom (30%), Ireland (20%), France (15%), Austria (15%), Scandinavia (10%), others (10%) [2]. People from USA search for inexpensive dental care in Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica and Peru. Australians are travelling to Bangkok, Phuket (Thailand) for dental treatment. The international passenger survey conducted by the Ministry of Tourism in 2003 concluded that 10% of about 2 million passengers were Non- Resident Indians who visited India for various medical treatments [3]. Reasons The main reasons, why patients decide to leave their native country are lower cost for dental service. According to comparison of prices (in US dollar) in 2012 the crown in USA costs around 385$, in India 180$, Thailand 243$, Mexico 300$ while in Poland 246$ and in Hungary 322$. The lowest price of implants was measured in Hungary 650$, Mexico 950$ and Poland 953$. The most expensive placement of dental implants was in Malaysia 2636$, USA 1188$, India 1100$ [2]. Another reason why people choose travelling is reduced waiting time for the patients who seeking cosmetic dental treatments than waiting under National Health Service (NHS) for cosmetic treatment in United Kingdom. These patients choose a trip abroad for a quick-fix smile. Even the lucrative marketing strategies like tourism trip during the duration of stay, best accommodation services, flights and pick up-drop services have been frequently used by the destination countries to lure patients [3]. However, even are sharing amazing results after dental treatment which contribute to doctor’s popularity and lures even more patients to the clinic. Dental offices are equipped with the newest technologies and modern design which guarantee patients to feel like a movie-star with a “Hollywood smile”. Dental Tourism: Dentists More than 70% of the world’s population living in low- and middle-income countries, have little access to oral health care, for this reason many dentists are willing to travel overseas to help those people. IADS International Voluntary Work Abroad Committee is happy to let students from all over the world to participate in different volunteering projects such as Voluntary Dental Project in Nepal 2016, in Jamaica 2015 and much more! The locations are not always the most popular volunteering destinations. Students are distributed between major deprived parts of the world in South America, Central Asia and Africa. The aims of these projects are to provide oral care and oral disease prevention in developing nations, train local people responsibility and awareness, to develop problem solving skills, research abilities and knowledge among dental students, promote teamwork and improve socio-economic conditions in rural areas. Advantages/Disadvantages The biggest advantage of volunteering is probably the inner satisfaction. Happiness and a wide smile on patient’s face is something that pushes you to move on. Sometimes even a small filling can improve tremendously a quality of somebody’s life! It was reported that volunteering is associated with 27% higher odds of employment because it helps workers to expand their network of contacts, improve their résumés and make a positive impression in a competitive job market. It increases your social capital such as professional contacts, durable networks, employment leads and social relationships, as well as human capital, for example, knowledge, skills, leadership opportunities and work experience [5]. However, as every single thing in life, volunteering also has its disadvantages. Firstly, depends on destination country, it can create stress sometimes as well as put at risk of getting some diseases, for example, malaria, hepatitis, ebola etc. Volunteering is usually related with a lot of expenses. If trip is not covered by any company, you have to pay from your own budget. Volunteering can also be time consuming and not right for everyone. Some people believe that time spend working for free, could be spent more efficiently, for example, looking for a job. Anyway, many people say that volunteering is a life changing experience, if you tried it once, you can’t stop! References: [1] Raluca Gheorghe et al (2017) Dental tourism from Switzerland to Germany SWISS DENTAL JOURNAL SSO 127: 618–625 (2017) [2] Kovacs E., Szocska G., Torok B., Ragany K. (2013) Why is Hungary the main destination country in dental tourism? Why do patients choose Hungary for dental care? Hungarian Case Study on dental care and patient flow. ECAB project (Grant agreement 242058). http://english. hsmtc.hu/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Final_case_study_web.pdf [3] Kuldeep Dhama, Basavaraj Patthi et al “Global tourist guide to oral care – a systematic review” J Clin Diagn Res. 2016 Sep;10(9):ZE01-ZE04. Epub 2016 Sep 1. DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2016/19438.8408 [4]https://www.dha.gov.ae/DHAOpenData/Annual%20Statistical%20Books/DHADoc768681140-28-07-2016.pdf [5] https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/upload/employment_research_report.pdf By Greta Kersyte - Abanob Yosry. 27