Dental tourism: 6% of adults say they have travelled abroad for care

One in 20 UK adults sought dental care outside of the UK in the last year, a new poll suggests.

The cost of treatments in the UK was the main reason cited by the 6% of adults who decided to travel abroad for care, according to a new report by the General Dental Council (GDC).

People also said they had tried and failed to join a regular dental practice at home or they had been unable to get an appointment locally.

Younger adults were more likely to have dabbled in dental tourism compared to older age groups – 18% of 18 to 34-year-olds said they had travelled abroad for dentistry services in the last year, while no pensioners polled said they had travelled overseas to seek care.

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People reported getting dental care in nearly 30 different countries, including France and India.

One person told the GDC that they built dental care into their regular holidays to Greece after being unable to register with an NHS dentist near to their home in the East Midlands.

Comments from the man in his 50s were published in a new report by the GDC, which is the regulator of UK dental professionals.

“The cost here in the UK is double or triple compared to Greece,” said the man, who is originally from Greece.

“Some of us can afford to pay but there are people who can’t afford to pay, and they can’t book an appointment. And they don’t have any option to travel abroad.

“The system needs more practices, more dentists.”

It comes as part of a wide-ranging survey, conducted by Community Research on behalf of the GDC, on the state of dentistry in the UK.

Other findings from the poll, which was conducted on more than 2,000 adults across the UK in January and February, include:

– 20% said they had tried to book an appointment for dental care or treatment during the past year and been unable to do so.

– 64% had visited a dental practice in the past year.

– Among those who had not accessed care in the last 12 months, some 31% said they had not gone because of the cost.

– Three in 10 (30%) said they did not have a regular dental practice.

– Some 24% said they were dissatisfied with the affordability of their treatment.

– Almost a fifth (19%) were dissatisfied with how long they had to wait for an appointment.

– Of those who had received some sort of private care, 42% reported that they had only started having private dental treatment in the past three years. Most who opted to go private did so because they had difficulties accessing care.

– Some expressed a “loss of confidence in the way that dental care is delivered” due to access issues and worsening care.

– The GDC said that some people had been “prioritising treatment over preventative dental care” due to the cost of living crisis.

Stefan Czerniawski, executive director of strategy at the GDC, said: “This latest research provides comprehensive insights into the current state of dental care in the UK.

“The findings highlight the ongoing challenges facing dentistry and the need to make progress in addressing these systemic issues to improve access to timely appointments and the affordability of dental care across the UK.

“It is particularly concerning that the research shows clear evidence of patients’ concerns that the recovery of dental services after the Covid pandemic has not only stalled but may have gone into reverse. That has worrying implications for the oral health of patients and the public, which need urgent attention.”

Commenting on the poll, Louise Ansari, chief executive at Healthwatch England, said that NHS dental care is one of the main reasons the patient champion is contacted by the public.

She added: “But even when people can access NHS dentistry, many can’t afford dental fees.

“And it was disabled people and those with long-term health conditions who told us they avoided dental care the most.

“We now call on the new government to tell the public, when and how it will roll out the 700,000 extra appointments it has pledged to deliver under a new Dental Rescue Plan.

“We also call for NHS dental charges for 2025 to be frozen at current levels to prevent more people being put off seeking help.

“In the long-term, more fundamental reforms are needed, to give everyone a right to register with a local NHS dentist, in the same way as they can with a GP, to access ongoing check-ups and appointments.”

Responding to the survey British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said: “Cost-of-living and access crises have converged, leaving millions with no options.

“Some are heading abroad for needed care, but many more are simply going without.

“The public aren’t seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for NHS dentistry. It will take bold and ambitious action to save it.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is unacceptable that so many people struggle to simply get a dental appointment, and this research lays bare the scale of the situation. There are large parts of the country where NHS dentistry barely exists any more.

“We will rebuild NHS dentistry, starting with an extra 700,000 emergency dentistry appointments. We will also reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients.

“Prevention is better than cure, so we will also introduce supervised tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds. These changes are fundamental to us building an NHS that is fit for the future.”