Cross-border dental care: 'dental tourism' and patient mobility.
Patient mobility is increasing. 'Dental tourism' is driven by numerous factors. These factors include the high cost of local care, delays in obtaining access to local dentists, competent care at many international clinics, inexpensive air travel, and the Internet's capacity to link 'customers' to 'sellers' of health-related services. Though dental tourism will benefit some patients, increased patient mobility comes with numerous risks. Lack of access to affordable and timely local care plays a significant role in prompting patients to cross borders and receive dental care outside their local communities.
Turner
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Biomedical Ethics Unit, McGill University, 3647 Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3X 1X1. leigh.turner@mcgill.ca
D003149:Community Dentistry / Q000191:economics; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D004465:Economic Competition; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D014195:Travel; D006113:United Kingdom