Fogorvosi szemle, 2008 (101. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
2008-10-01 / 5. szám
202 FOGORVOSI SZEMLE ■ 101. évf. 5. sz. 2008. made by travelling to Hungary for cosmetic dentistry or for treatments such as dental implants and dental crowns. Dental costs may be as low as 30% of private dental costs in the UK. Many providers will also look after your travel and accommodation arrangements, or you can take advantage of low cost airlines flying into Budapest.” 3. Joss, A, Christensen, M, Jakob, S, Oberholzer, G, Lang, N: Qualität von zahnärztlich-prothetischen Versorgungen im Vergleich. Acta Med Dent Helv 1994; 77-85. 4. Konsument (Zeitschrift des Vereins für Konsumenteninformation in Österreich); Zahnbehandlung in Ungarn. Pannonisches Roulette 2005; 3: 10. 5. Marthaler, Th: Zahnmedizin in einer westungarischen Kleinstadt. Schweiz Monatschr Zahnmed 2003; 113: (3) 326-327. Eredeti nyelven: „Westliche erwachsene Dentaltouristen holen sich mit harter Währung umfassende Zahnbehandlungen inklusive kosmetisch bedingter Eingriffe, wogegen für die einheimische Jugend es fast allem fehlt”. 6. Oesterle, A, Delgado, J: Dental Care Migration in Central Europe. In: Burger, R., Wieland, M. (eds.): Economic and Sociopolitical Perspectives for Health Services in Central Europe. Report, Wien, 2006; 130-135. 7. Turner, L: Cross-border dental care: “dental tourism” and patient mobility. British Dental Journal, 2008; 204: 553-554. 8. 2006. évi XCVII. tv. 32. § (1) bek. Dr. Balázs P, Oesterle A: Cross-border patient migration in the Hungarian dentistry High quality elective dental care for foreign patients was not exceptional in Hungary before the collapse of the old regime in 1989. Nevertheless, it became business as usual only in the new era thanks to the open state borders and the international competitive market environment. Unfortunately, no scientific study concerning this phenomenon has been conducted so far, however its professional and economic significance has been indicated by day-to-day experience. Additionally, the term “dental tourism” also used in international scientific papers became a commonplace in Hungary with unfavourable connotations. The present survey was the first to study this phenomenon by scientific standards in the most involved areas, namely in the capital city Budapest and in three counties in the Western Hungarian Region. Data collecting was performed by a self-reported questionnaire sent via conventional mail to all members of the Dental Section of the Hungarian Medical Chamber practicing in those indicated regions. Respond rates were 20.65 % in Budapest and 25.34 % in Western Hungary. The sample obtained this way, clearly indicated dimensions of cross-border patient migration and its economic significance as well. In Western Hungary 80,81 % of foreign patients came from the neighbouring Austria and two out of ten practices realized 40 to 100% of their income out of this business. In Budapest foreign patients’ nationality was more diversified. The largest group arrived from the United Kingdom (9,93%). Nevertheless the economic impact of dental tourism in Budapest is not relevant and outbalanced by a considerable domestic demand on the local private market. Key words: patient migration in dentistry, economic significance, Budapest and Western Hungary, breakdown by nationality, share of Austrian patients
