Dental Travel – Code of Practice

The growth in dental travel mandates oversight and regulation.

There are many reasons for seeking dental care outside of your region or country. Crowns, implants, bridges, dentures and root canals are those dental procedures most sought after because of their high cost and lack of insurance reimbursement. Dentists advertising themselves to potential patients across the internet should establish their credibility beyond an attractive and flashy website. Your evaluation process must be rigorous.

The competition for dental tourism patients continues to grow as more countries in the European Union and Asia enter the market. It has become a real challenge for the consumer to differentiate between quality, experience and affordability. Seeking a dentist away from home exceeds a simple price quote and a treatment plan. Remember – there are two dentists offices. There is the online clinic and the physical office where dentistry is actually conducted. How do you determine if the two match and where do you start? Quality can be deceiving and though there are a multitude of questions you should ask some basic queries will send you in the right direction. Transparency is key.

A mature and qualified dental practice participating in dental travel and receiving patients from many parts of the world has significant responsibility. In today’s global economy, medical and dental care that interfaces with patients from multiple countries should compete at the highest level. As a consumer, your dental options are many so evaluate and choose wisely.

Hungary is the Gold Standard
Hungary has long been considered an epicenter of dental training and practice for the European Union. As dental tourism rapidly grew, a formal group comprised of dentists and government officials was established who jointly identified a standard code of professional conduct and practice for dentists. The Association of Leading Hungarian Dental Clinics was established in the 1990’mandating a high standard of ethics and quality is paramount in leading to be best outcome for consumers. Think of this assembly as the Better Business Bureau with consumer rights and patient quality as the objective. Kreativ Dental, Budapest, is a founding member. Dental and laboratory procedures, clinicians and clinic operations oversight have been established in setting criteria for patient satisfaction and quality delivery of care. This style of peer review, or group oversight in following a basic Code of Practice assures the consumer the highest quality of medical and tourist visit.