England Ranked Most Expensive For Dental Costs

Tue, 22 Jan 2008

Dental treatment in England is the most expensive in Europe, according to a new survey.

The study of nine European countries, carried out by the Institute for Medical Technology Assessment at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, found the total cost of a standard filling in England was £117 compared to just £6 in Hungary .

Researchers used the price of a filling in a molar of a 12-year-old child as an example for the study. The £117 total cost included the cost of X-rays, materials, drugs and overheads, as well as the dentist's time.

The findings have fuelled fears that yet more patients across the country will be driven abroad to seek cheaper dental treatment.

Although England came out top of the table, it was closely followed by both Italy and Spain . But costs in other European countries such as Germany and France were found to be less than half, while Hungary and Poland – both popular destinations for ‘dental tourists’ – were listed as the cheapest countries for treatment.

Agencies that arrange treatment in these countries promise patients savings worth thousands of pounds, even once flight and accommodation costs have been taken into account .

Siok Swan Tan, lead author of the report, said differences in dentists' earnings were the most important reason for the variation in costs and admitted the figure for England included material costs that make straightforward comparisons "difficult".

"Without exception, labour costs were the most important cost driver in all countries and practices . They accounted for 70 per cent of total costs in England and ranged from 7p per minute in Hungary to £2.16 a minute in England." she said.

However, chief executive of the BDA, Peter Ward, suggested the research is ‘deeply flawed' as it is based on a sample of four practices out of a possible 10,000.

"The dentists selected were community dentists who normally care for patients with special needs who need more staff and take longer to treat," he said.

"It is impossible to make a sensible comment on a set of flawed data."
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